Courtesy of bushfireshelter.com
Good News for regulators, manufacturers, sellers and consumers alike! The potential is now here for a nationally consistent basis to be developed for regulating the construction of these types of structures across all the states of Australia. The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has released a draft of the proposed national technical standard for private bushfire shelters.
A private bushfire shelter is defined in the Victorian Building Regulations 2006 as “a building or part of a building that may, as a last resort, provide shelter for people from the immediate life threatening effects of a bushfire”.
There is anecdotal evidence that what was identified as a significant market failure in Victoria is now being dealt with by legislation. We understand one seller of “bunkers” has now re-branded their product as a “bushfire valuable safe”.
Do you have a design for a personal or public bushfire shelter which is not a hole in the ground? Does it consider the bushfire basics e.g. see Joan Webster’s Essential Bushfire Safety Tips. We would love to hear from Designers who have integrated their design for a shelter into people’s buildings or homes!
Tags: ABCB, Building Regulations 2006, private bushfire shelter, Victoria, Wildfire