Household Utilities: Potable Water: Bush Fire

All preventative efforts must be made to protect property and life during a bush fire. The following points have been acknowledged - and have been used to develop a plan for the Newton property.

Building Considerations for Building Design:

- External decking will have a minimum spacing of 10mm so that ambers will fall through
- soffit will be lined
- ridge cappings will be flashed
- plugs will be available for gutters so that they can be filled with water
- storm and fire shutters will be made for the windows facing south

1. The location and accessibility to this property, could cause fire to block the exit / or prevent access by emergency vehicles. A simple plan requiring the cutting of a wire fence, and keeping this area cleared, has been put in place.

2. The amount and type of surrounding vegetation puts the property at a moderate to high risk of a shrub fire. An area will be kept clear around the house with only fire resistant plants grown within this area.

3. The buildings are primarily built from recycled terpentine marine pylons - these are not highly flammable. The straw bale walls are very dense and are also encased in a 50mm thick render. To burn these would be similar to burning a rendered telephone book.

4. The native vegetation drops a large amount of leaf matter on the roof. Leafbeater gutter guard is an ideal protection from accumulation of leaf litter and the associated fire risk.

5. The Newton's will ensure that the water level in the Deveney Tanks never falls below 7000 gallon.

5. The Newton's would plan to call for help early. Knowledge of managing and preventing fires would be further enhanced by joining the bush fire brigade.

In the event of a bush fire occurring, it is important the correct infrastructure is in place to assist in fire fighting.

Deveney water storage tanks and components of the water supply system must be protected from the effects of fire. Ideally water supply should not depend on a pump during a fire.

As the Newton House site must use a pump, a diesel generator is preferred over a petrol generator, which might experience fuel vaporization.

It is necessary for fire fighting services to be able to access water supplies quickly and easily. Vehicles should be able to drive directly to the tank, which must offer connections compatible with fire fighting equipment.

LINKS

http://www.ormeaurfb.com
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~gscfa/fire-links.htm
http://www.bushfire.nsw.gov.au/

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