The bushfire season has begun in Victoria. Many people are thinking about fire bunkers as a last resort to take shelter in case of a sudden bushfire. Now before you consider installing a fire bunker, you need to verify some points in relations to its safety and design. At present there are no specific standards set to measure the performance and capability of fire bunkers. Therefore the following points need to be ensured when installing a fire bunker in your house.

• The bunker should protect the people inside from fire and radiant heat for a reasonable time.
• It should be supplied with fire protection equipments with first aid kit, water, blankets, torch lights, radio and other items needed during a fire emergency.
• The material used for construction of fire bunker should be a safe one.
• The fire bunker can be best installed just away from house but easily accessible.
• An air tight fire door should be there for entry and exit.
• It is better to install the fire bunker partly covering the earth for insulation.
• The size of the bunker may depend on the number of people entering inside. Therefore a large bunker is needed if there are more number of people in the family.

If you are living in a bushfire prone area in Australia, you need to take extreme caution and care during bushfire season. You have to prepare to face the disaster which is inevitable in most cases. If you hear about a bushfire nearest to your living place, prepare to take the safety steps well in advance. Most importantly you should take the following safety tips,

• Monitor the weather at frequent intervals
• Hear the radio or TV news about the progress  and direction of the fire
• Pre pack emergency items and valuables well in advance to avoid last minute rush
• Wear protective clothing
• Drink Plenty of water

In addition to the above general safety tips, you should take the following home safety measures for saving lives during bushfires.

• Do not leave cooking stoves or burners or other flames unattended.
• Install smoke alarms and test them frequently.
• Do not overload power points and switch off appliances when not in use.
• Do not keep eplosives,chemicals or other easily burning materials in the garage or in the house

In a bushfire prone areas think of installing a fire bunker of adequate standard and safety

The Bureau of Meteorology, Australia will issue daily forecast of Fire Danger Ratings for the 2009-2010 bush fire season. During fire season the bureau will release a six tier Fire Danger Index after taking the predicted weather containing temperature, humidity, wind speed and dryness of vegetation.”With this Fire Danger Rating, the call for action will be for people to leave, either on the previous night or as early as in the morning”. Said Michael Wright, Australian Minister for Police and Emergency Services.

The Fire Danger Rating is determined by Fire Danger Index. A Fire Danger Index of 0-11 means low or moderate which means that there is no immediate threat to life and property. An index of 12-24 means high but loss of life is unlikely. Further the fire can be controlled in such a situation. An index of 50-74 is severe, 75-99 extreme and a Fire Danger Index of 100+ is catastrophic which all mean threat to life and property. This rating system nationally adopted is for the benefit of South Australians living, working or travelling in bushfire prone areas.