This uniform standard will be helpful for the building designers and approval authorities to make professional judgments in respect of the technical and safety aspects of the fire bunkers and fire shelters. The finally approved standards would be included in the building codes of Australia in its 2011 edition.

If state and territory governments wish to develop their own regulations prior to 2011 they could use the draft to make their own standards as an interim measure.

Mr. Graham Huxley however warned that extreme caution should be taken when using fire shelters and misplaced reliance could be life threatening.

• Safe access to the building.
• Adequate sanitary facilities.
• Provision for looking the external environment.
• Safe egress from the building.
• Provision for identification of such a structure by suitable sign board.

Before installing such a structure, the persons responsible for such installation must specify,

• The maximum number of people that it can accommodate and the duration of maximum stay.
• Actions to which the building may be subjected.
• The possible effect of buildings, vegetation and topography in the vicinity.
• The effect of external fire intensity.
• The prevention of unpleasant experiences within the structure during a fire.

Recently, Melinda Richards one of the lawyers assisting the Royal Commission said in a submission that fire bunker standards should be developed by April 1, 2010 and be in force by not later than May 1.She expected that Victorian government through the Building commission (BC) should take initiative to develop fire bunker standards.

It is to be noted that Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), the country’s apex building regulatory board has taken the issue and is preparing a uniform standard on fire bunkers. However the standards can not be made public during this bushfire season and therefore Ms.Melinda the counsel requested an interim accreditation standard for Victoria until the ABCB’s national standards come out. She demanded that there should be regulations on the claims of fire bunker manufactures about the capacity to withstand intense heat and severe winds, oxygen availability and the bunker’s ability to keep smoke and poisonous gases out of it.

• The fire bunker is insulated by the earth.
• There is cool air inside.
• The exposure to radiant heat is minimum.
• The fire bunker is not fully visible from outside.
• The flames can pass over the bunker.
• Side doors provide easy entry.

However these types of bunkers have their own drawbacks particularly after installation. These may be,

• The excavation and leveling the ground requires labor and money.
• Drainage problems need to be addressed.
• Installation requires some engineering and technical knowledge.

Above Ground Bunkers-The Advantages:

• Since being above ground no excavation is needed
• No landslip or drainage problems
• There is easy access from side door
• It can be built on the ground itself and no transportation is therefore needed.
• It can be used for some other purpose when not in use for fire safety.
• Can be built as per customer specification.

The Disadvantages of Above Ground Bunkers:

• There is no natural insulation from earth. This means threat from radiant heat.
• Likely to heat up in hot weather. No cooling inside.
• Fall of tree branches and structures more possible on an above ground fire bunker.
• Additional insulation needed to protect from fire and radiant heat.

There are too many backyard amateur Fire Bunkers out there that can easily be death traps, said Craig Morrison from Fire Proof Shelters, Australia’s leading Fire Bunker Designer and manufacturer!

Here is an excerpt from the latest Bushfires Royal Commission recommendations.

Dewi Cooke
September 22, 2009 – 12:00AM

VICTORIANS could soon have access to the first regulations for fire bunkers after a decision by the Bushfires Royal Commission to release interim recommendations on their use.

Commission chairman Bernard Teague said yesterday that following three weeks of evidence investigating bunkers and home-building standards in bushfire-prone areas, it was clear that certain matters ”cannot wait” for the commission to conclude its work next July.

He said commissioners would deliver interim recommendations regarding regulations for bushfire bunkers, some aspects of the new AS3959 building standard and the need for a revision of the Standards Australia handbook for building in bushfire-prone areas.

In evidence last month, the commission was told there was no standard for in-ground bunkers but they were urgently needed amid concerns from Victorian Building Commissioner Tony Arnel that people were rushing to install them without technical knowledge.

Mr Arnel said he had directed Victoria’s Building Regulations Advisory Committee to develop an accreditation criteria for pre-fabricated bunkers and estimated that Standards Australia could develop a standard within six months.

But he said it would also be possible for the royal commission to make a finding that criteria for bunkers be rolled into existing national building regulations, as a way of fast-tracking the process.

One of the most important decisions that you’ll have to make is where to install the Fire Shelter on your property. The important things to consider are; making sure it is away from buildings or structures that may potentially collapse over the exit making it hazardous to get out, and do you have an underground fire shelter?

If possible you want to install your Fire Shelter as near to the house as you can, yet keeping it far enough away to prevent any debris falling on top, this also includes keeping away from large trees where possible, and if not, clearing or trimming trees.

Underground is the best place for your Fire Shelter! A properly built and installed underground Fire Shelter is an excellent way to improve your chances for survival from extreme radiant heat. Underground Fire Shelters are built with the utmost of care and with long term multi-hazard protection in mind no matter what scenario one would be preparing for. Modern heavy duty steel reinforced underground Fire Shelters such as Fire Proof Shelters are air tight, water tight and smoke proof.

As more information about the bushfires became available so too did amazing stories of survival, including people who had taken refuge in some sort of bunker. Professor Keith Crews of the University of Technology in Sydney believes that concrete underground Fire Shelters could help save lives. Professor Crews says they would need to be around 500mm underground, because above ground even reinforced concrete would be likely to explode in the ferocity of fires recently experienced on Black Saturday.

In an underground Fire Shelter the earth would act as an insulator from the heat, and there’s no fuel for the fire. Professor Crews says that underground Fire Shelters could be the answer to protecting people from fires like those Victoria has just witnessed. “You would need something that is essentially underground because of the insulating quality of the earth,” he said. “Obviously you would need something over the top of that that’s quite well protected.

Underground Fire Shelters can be Top or Side Entry!

Underground fire shelters that are designed and supplied by Fire Proof Shelters come in both Top and Side entry to cater for everyone and their individual preferences!

“The next issue that I think you would have to consider is oxygen or air because when you get a fire storm like that it’s got a tendency to suck up all the air that’s there.” Professor Crews says the earth would act as a natural insulator from the heat of the fire and the underground Fire Shelter would not need to be too deep. “The earth is a great insulator. Obviously you would have to give consideration to groundwater and all those issues, but I would assume that something like two to 2.5 metres, so essentially it was like a basement,” he said.

Underground Fire Shelters could be the answer to protecting people from fires because of the insulating qualities for the earth. The earth is an excellent dielectric and setting the Fire Shelter at least 300-900mm underground offers multiple times the insulation factor and fire rating of the Concrete structure.

Most bush fires sustain their maximum radiant heat for less than 30 -40 minutes providing the fire bunker is placed away form heavy growth. This means that the Fire Shelters cannot heat up excessively and you have plenty of air. The earth would act as a natural insulator from the heat of the fire and the underground Fire Shelter would not need to be too deep. Underground Fire Shelters are designed and engineered to save you and your families life in the event of a bush fire.

Fire Proof Shelters are the Answer!

The reinforced concrete tanks have been developed over the last 22 years and represent the highest of build quality and structural integrity. Underground Fire Proof Shelters are a purpose built Bush Fire Shelter that is professionally constructed from ultra high-grade high-density reinforced concrete employing components that are fully fire rated to 3 hours.

“Our commitment is to giving every country household the opportunity to have a safe haven for the family”States Craig Morrison from Fire Proof Shelters.

You will be ensured an extraordinarily effective safeguard against the radiant heat of bushfires, because underground Fire Shelters – is the best installation!

Bushfires produce copious quantities of smoke that often disperses over long distances depending on the climatic conditions, topography and vegetation sources. As a result, smoke may affect human communities that are not directly threatened by bushfire or impacted by prescribed burning.

The presence of greater numbers of people living in or near the bush has increased the size of the at-risk population in the event of a bushfire. The population health impacts associated with smoke from bushfires are not well defined but are thought to have possible adverse effects on respiratory and cardiovascular systems and are therefore important considerations for public health, and for emergency and environmental agencies.

Smoke produced during bushfires or prescribed burning contains a complex mixture of particulate matter, water vapour and gases, many of which are known to be air pollutants or greenhouse gases. Particulate matter results from incomplete combustion of vegetation and varies in concentration, composition and size distribution.

The symptoms of smoke effects

Fine particles and gases can accumulate in the eyes, nose and lungs and cause a number of health problems including burning or itchy eyes, runny nose, sore throat, headache and general coughing. People with heart disease might experience chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath or fatigue. People with lung disease may not be able to breathe easily, deeply or vigorously and may develop symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, phlegm and chest discomfort.

With all the research Fire Proof Shelters has been conducting, many people are falsly under the impression a smaller Fire shelter is adequate to protect them! Unfortunately this is not the case. There a many sub standard Fire Shelters/Fire Bunkers on the market that are very missleading in the amaout of available breathing time. They don’t allow for the adverse effect CO2 expiation has on people in an air tight space and effectively reduces the REAL breathing time down dramatically!

Find out why Fire proof Shelters design is offen twice the size of most other fire shelters! Call 03 9444 1555 to find out more.