[LINK] Bush Fire Speeds (was Re: home emergencies)

[Jan Whitaker]

At 12:02 PM 20/02/2009, Robin Whittle wrote:
>   Therefore, if people want to live in or near the forest
>    - and I am not suggesting they shouldn't (I would like
>    to) - then they need to regard the house as probably
>    doomed if there is a fire during extreme conditions
>    like we had on 7 February.

I seem to recall that is one reason the Japanese build [built?] 
houses that were reasonably easy to rebuild. The live in earthquakes. 
It was more efficient to rely on rebuildable structures rather than 
assume they will survive. Perhaps that idea, in conjunction with the 
bunker for saving life and irreplaceable items, is a strategy to consider.

>    Everything on the surface - cellphone base-stations, telephone
>    cables etc. is likely to be destroyed.  So I guess this
>    leaves 27MHz AM or FM VHF walkie-talkies as the best kind
>    of emergency communication system.

A friend who successfully defended most of their propery in 
Labourtouche relied on walkie-talkies to work with family members 
during the fight. They lost access to their water tanks because of 
pump failures. Fortunately they only lost one major shed and saved 
the house and horse arena.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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