Sanctuary !

There is a lesson to be learned from the massive bushfire summer we have just experienced. Homes and lives were lost when a fire season went on for weeks despite the ranks of firefighters being augmented by members of the defence forces.  For individual home owners the choice was often a decision of whether to stay and defend the property or get out while the way was clear and shelter in  a designated safety zone.

Many such safety zones fell victim to the ferocity of this fire and there were instances where fire victims were forced to wade into the sea or the waters of a lake to escape the flames. It was a harrowing experience and we are warned that the fire season will be longer each year and with increased intensity because of global warming caused by the increase of carbon dioxide in the air.

After the end of the second world war the use of the atomic bomb to force a Japanese surrender brought fear of its use in future wars. Many safety conscious citizens invested in an underground shelter stocked with survival supplies.  Fortunately, the wide development of nuclear weapons across the political divide has saved us from a nuclear confrontation and those remaining shelters are now  rare.  Perhaps they should again feature in the plans of those rebuilding after their homes were lost in last summers inferno.

Fire in Australia is now an annual threat.  In what is known as the " Tornado belt " across inland America it is common for residents to have an underground shelter to which the family can retreat when a Tornado threatens.  A similar underground shelter with a filter to remove smoke from breathing air would be a welcome safety measure in coming fire seasons and it could be economically included in the plans for homes to be  replaced after last seasons fires.

The inescapable fact delivered last summer was that homes in many country towns and those in the suburbs surrounding cities are vulnerable to cinder attacks which can advance miles ahead of the actual fire front. Citizens who have the home prepared to repel fire can usually save the building if they remain to extinguish embers, but that is unsafe if the fire gathers unexpected strength and leaves them with mo way of escape.

The idea of an underground safety area on the property is now a feasible option for property owners. It can be quickly and cheaply constructed with modern earth moving machinery and should become an integral part of modern living.  If nothing else, it removes that agonising decision of whether to flee or stay when the fire season erupts.

That personal safety aspect is important to those who live in a fire zone.