For a great resource on Fire Bunkers click on the link to download Ian Pullars extensive report. He is not charging anything for the time and effort he has put into researching this, and so maybe after downloading it, you could send him an email of appreciation.

PURPOSE OF WRITING THIS 4 WHY A FIRE BUNKER? 4 RECENT LESSONS 5 BUNKER SURVIVAL STORIES 5 YOU’RE INTERESTED IN BUILDING A FIRE BUNKER - WHAT TO DO NOW? 6 READING MATERIALS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE 7 DANGERS 8 WHY THE DISCLAIMER? 8 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS 9 DUAL USE vs MAIN PURPOSE and 9 LOCKED vs UNLOCKED 9 WHEN WILL IT BE USED? 10 HOW LONG AFTER THE FIRE WILL IT NEED TO BE USED FOR? 11 BUILD IT UNDER THE HOUSE? 11 SIZE 11 ENTRANCES / DOORS 12 FIRE DOORS, DOOR JAMBS (IE SURROUNDS) and DOOR SEALS 13 THE IMPORTANCE OF DOOR MAINTENANCE 14 DOOR LATCHES 14 AN ALTERNATIVE TO DOORS IN JAMBS/SURROUNDS 14 MORE THAN ONE ENTRANCE 15 PROTECTION FROM ENTRANCE/S AGAINST FALLING TREES, BRANCHES ETC. 15 WINDOWS 15 VENTILATION 15 FAN FORCED VENTILATION UNITS 16 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PETS 18 DESIGN FOR LATER EXPANSION? 18 LOCATION – WHERE SHOULD YOUR BUNKER BE BUILT? 19 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS 20 ABOVE GROUND, IN-GROUND, TOP DOOR OR SIDE DOOR/S? 21 HOW FIRE-PROOF DO I HAVE TO MAKE IT? 22 WHAT ABOUT A BURIED STEEL CONTAINER? 24 THE USE OF SOIL AS A BARRIER 24 DRAINAGE 24 POTENTIAL FOR GROUND SLIPPAGE / COLLAPSE and EROSION 25 MOULD AND MICROBES 25 SPIDERS AND BUGS 25 SOIL TYPES 26 POWER AND LIGHTING 26 FLOORING AND FLOOR COVERINGS 27 DÉCOR 27 BUNKERS AND CHILDREN 27 BENCHES, SHELVES AND HOOKS 28 COMMUNICATIONS 28 SIGNAGE 29 MAKING YOUR FIRE BUNKER BLEND IN / LOOK GOOD. 29 OXYGEN / AIR SUPPLY TANKS & COMPRESSORS 29 COUNCIL PERMITS – AND THE RAMIFICATIONS OF IGNORING THEM 31 ONE DIY FIRE BUNKER BUILDER’S EXPERIENCE WITH COUNCIL 32 LIABILITY AND INSURANCE ISSUES 32 BUILDERS 32 WARRANTIES 33 THE IMPORTANCE OF ADEQUATE INSURANCE ON YOUR HOUSE & OTHER ASSETS 33 COSTS and TIME 33 MAINTENANCE 33 THINGS YOU MAY WISH TO PUT IN YOUR BUNKER TO BE FULLY PREPARED 34 THINGS YOU SHOULD LEAVE OUT OF YOUR BUNKER 36 THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO IN YOUR BUNKER 36 PREPARATION FOR BUNKER USE – YOUR FIRE BUNKER PLAN 36 WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU HEAD INTO YOUR BUNKER 36 WHAT TO DO AS YOU HEAD INTO YOUR BUNKER 37 AFTER THE FIRE HAS PASSED 38 CLOTHING 38 IF YOU THINK THE RULES NEED TO BE CHANGED, OR MORE RESEARCH IS REQUIRED– DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT 39 BUNKER BUILDING STORIES 40 LINKS 40 New building codes 41 NEWS ARTICLES 42 BUSHFIRE TALK 42 COMMERCIAL BUNKERS AVAILABLE FOR SALE 42 OTHER PRODUCTS & USEFUL EQUIPMENT LINKS 45 SAMPLE DESIGN, WITH 2 DOORS AND PROTECTED ENTRANCES 47 ROOFING - POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTION METHOD. 48 ROOFING – CONSTRUCTION METHOD IF TWO WALLS 49 DIAGRAM OF SAME STRUCTURE WITH LOCKABLE STORAGE AREA FOR WINE OR OTHER ITEMS. 50 EXAMPLE OF MODIFIED CONCRETE TANK. 51 BEST POSITION ON THE SITE (also see next page) 52 BEST POSITION ON THE SITE (continued). 53 LOW VOLTAGE VENTILATION SYSTEM 54 SIGNS 55 THE HIDDEN IMPACTS OF BUSHFIRES 56 EQUIPMENT AND OTHER HELPFUL STUFF 56 THAT’S IT. 57 AGE ARTICLE 59

Fire Shelter or Fire Bunker, what should you do?

The threat of bushfire haunts many people throughout the world. How often on the evening news do we see footage of homes being lost despite the best efforts of firefighters in places as far afield as Los Angeles to Athens, not ignoring of course our own dry continent. My home state of Victoria was devastated last summer when a wild fire of unprecedented ferocity descended on it’s rural and mountain communities on a day remembered as Black Saturday. Many lives were lost and hundreds of properties destroyed as a result.

In the aftermath of this disaster many questions have been asked concerning what could have been done to safeguard us against the threat posed by bushfire. One suggestion that continues to surface again and again is the use of purpose built fire shelters.

For the last few decades authorities have relied upon a policy commonly known as stay or go. In the event of high fire risk, well prepared residents were encouraged to protect their own homes while those unable to do so were told that they should leave the threatened area well before the fire arrived. The unprecedented intensity of Black Saturday completely overwhelmed this policy with even the best prepared home owners unable to combat the fire and those trying to leave were caught by fires spotting up to fifteen kilometres in front of the main fire front. It is suggested by many experts that with the advent of global warming and prolonged droughts we can expect more wild fires that will match the ferocity of Black Saturday. This is the reason people are considering the use of fire shelters as a sensible response to the threat of bush fire.

The use of fire shelters or bunkers is certainly not a new idea. As our country was developed, forestry was a major industry which employed many people who lived with their families scattered through out the forests. Fire shelters comprised a major component of their fire safety plans. These shelters were located near townships or timber mills and their location was known to all the people of the district. Over time these shelters fell into disrepair or were removed by government as the focus of bush fire survival centred on preparing individual properties to cope with fire attack.

As you have no doubt noticed with your search of the internet a number of businesses have anticipated the publics interest in shelters and have offered a number of different types. These shelters vary widely in both price and sophistication, ranging from a hole in the ground lined with timber or sandbags, converted shipping containers to purpose built shelters constructed from reinforced concrete and fire rated steel. While a number of these facilities look extremely well designed it must be noted that there is currently no approved design standard for fire shelters, only the individual construction materials can be fire rated.

In the past it was commonly held that a shelter was only required during the initial passing of the fire front, a period of about fifteen minutes during which the radiant heat reached it’s peak. Experts studying the effects of Black Saturday however estimate that in some areas this radiant heat effect would have remained fatal for up to two hours. Bearing this in mind anyone considering purchasing a shelter should be certain that their shelter can withstand prolonged exposure to intense heat and also provide an adequate supply of clean air. Some shelters come with air tanks while others use an air filtering system but any using oxygen tanks should probably be avoided as oxygen is highly explosive when exposed to flame.

For many people the choice of shelter will depend on a number of factors, these being cost, level of threat and the number of people who might use it. The cost of the shelter might be defrayed amongst a number of neighbours which would allow for a more sophisticated unit. If you are considering investing in a fire shelter it seems obvious to do your home work and consider your choices carefully and while many of us are feeling threatened by the approaching fire season it might be prudent to wait until the relevant authorities have had a chance to set the appropriate standards.

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Culminate your dreams!

February 9th, 2010 fire shelter fire bunker admin

A dream home is the one which have all the latest facilities to live in and the interiors of the abode being designed in such a way that it suits all the member living in that particular abode. This interiors may include any object being placed in the rooms or being it be any facility or any kind of latest electronic equipment used or it being any kind of decorative things which make your dwelling a wonder to live in and to enjoy every movement that being lived in it. A house mainly has three important works to be done on it. They are the work done by roofers and the electricians and the plumbers. Now you need to get the best of them that is you have to select the most intelligent one out of the many standing to get the work who may easily understand your need and get those needs implemented onto your dwelling. This work starts from the electricians and must be hired at the time you start building your home. The second comes the plumbers which must be put on to work when the basic structure stands still. Then at last the work of starts and that is of the roofer who gives the final shape to your house. The electricians must be selected who knows all the latest ideas and the techniques used in a proper management of the functioning of all the light, switches and other electrical equipments. Mainly the internal wiring done to your rooms must be perfectly all right, as once done its very difficult for you to change or to get it renovate. To accomplish this task, Tampa Electricians are known to be most famous. Also, the work of Brisbane Plumbers is known to be very flawless in terms of fittings and arrangements. But it is really recommendable that the roof work should be very robust for a dwelling to stay intact. Shady Valley Roofers (Need one? click here!) very well know how to accomplish this task and that too very easily.

Tags: Electricians, Plumbers, Roofers
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