Bushfire Solution

awww, not a smartie!, at least not about this! maybe an above ground earthen shelter around a core of concrete or stone? don’t know the conditions there, have heard of eucalyptus…? dense flames? hmmmm….I think you are spot on, though, maybe just needs to be varied by location…where I lived in the woods in Missouri, US, we had fires spring and fall, the idiot locals set them…but they were mostly leaf clutter, low flames, or fast moving…sounds like your situation is much worse down there…I think you are absolutely right about being aware and in tune if one lives in the bush…awareness combined with what you propose, as an emergency option…far better than getting fried…

You wont believe this !.
Last night I watched a story from one of the bushfire survivors and his family .
The man I cant say how old he was but he had really long hair and looked like a typical hippie. and if you passed him on the street some people would of looked down on him you know how people are ..well his house caught on fire as the flames raced up the hill …they had no where to go at all, EXCEPT HE HAD A BUNKER…..he herded up his family and they all went into the bunker…..and waited for the fire to pass this probably only took a few minutes and passed straight over the top of them .THEY SURVIVED…yet absolutely everything burnt around them …house ..neighbours .everything.The Bunker had fireproof walls and roof and was built into the retaining wall at the back of the house ,once the door was shut it was sealed so they didnt get choked up on smoke ..The Man paid an extra $3000 to have the bunker put in when he built his house….....my theory works .The ABC also did a story on bunker protection ..and im telling you its the way to go ..
carbon monoxide doesnt come into the equasion as its fumes are from oils petrols etc. and the bunkers are sealed …the bunker i saw was in a ditch in the side of a wall….So hows that hey …you can see the full story on ABC Catalyst I just know this is the right approach the man and his family are living proof.cheers my friend.

What a terrible, tragic event, my heart goes out to all those people and their families.

The news here in the States have reported that Australia’s Government allows homeowners to stay and try to defend their homes when threatened by fire. Here in the U.S., when there is a fire, California residents (and elsewhere) are forced to evacuate… it is mandatory.

In America, homes in the northern states (and Canada) are built with basements. People are told to go to the basement where it’s more secure if a tornado should hit. In the South we have more tornados than anywhere else in the United States. Do we have basements in our homes? Heck no. In over fifty years of living here in the South and Southwest, I have yet to see one house that has a basement… they just don’t build them here.

Hi Amanda, like you I went through those fires of 2000 although, I was one of the lucky ones that didn’t have it come close enough to do any damage. I have also written to Government departments as well as councils and all I get is the bureaucrat shuffle as though it’s some kind of dance and they can’t hear the music.
My idea centred around most “new” dwellings being built on concrete slabs. I suggested that, in bushfire prone areas it should be mandatory for a shelter (as well as water tanks) to be built UNDER the slab. It could be divided into three distinct sections with the tank are around the outside and separating the safety area (for family and pets) from a separate area which could be used for water pumps (pumping recycled water, through sprinkler systems, over the house and back into the tanks) air pumps etc. I know that it would add $$ costs to any new structure but what price do you put on a life? If people want to live in these areas then they have to take some responsibility for their own safety.

I had one person tell me that “all of the trees around houses should be removed as there are plenty of trees left for the birds and animals in National Parks”. I held my tongue at this stupidity and walked away. What these people fail to realise is that the bloody trees and animals were here first and, over thousands of years, they have learnt to deal with bush fires which are a natural part of living in these areas. It is we humans that are the new comers and we have to learn to fit in with the environment that we choose to live in.
I also watched the program on the ABC about the bunker. What that guy had done was bury a shipping container and bricked in walls around it and then covered the whole thing with earth. The fire was so intense that the paint on the doors was burnt and blistered but, as you said, he and his family survived. As for the build up of gases, you aren’t “living” in the bunker you are only in there until the fire passes and this wouldn’t be for more than a couple of hours. It is a last resort when the fire is already around you and you have no other avenue of escape.
It’s not rocket science it just common sense but, while we deal with small minded little people who hide behind desks in Government offices and who, have never experienced the terror of a bush fire …...little will be done.