The safest option to protect yourself and your family is to leave your property early and deploy your bushfire sprinkler system remotely.
Victoria is one of the most fire-prone areas in the world.
Bushfire and your home
The safest option when a bushfire starts in your area is to protect yourself and your family by leaving your property early and deploying your bushfire sprinkler system remotely.
Inform yourself about the vulnerabilities of your location and your buildings, and what to expect if your property is impacted by bushfire.
Our bushfire sprinkler system should be used in conjunction with the current bushfire protection measures as recommended by CFA, Australian Standards Association, CSIRO, local councils and other regulatory bodies to maximise the protection of your valuable assets.
Bushfire sprinkler systems and ember attack
The threat of bushfire is real, and growing. The 2019–20 bushfires burned a greater area than Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday combined. Climate change is increasing the threat.
Ember attack causes the vast majority of property damage and loss. Wherever embers can lodge or enter your house they can start a fire – through gaps around doors or windows, underfloor spaces, through eaves, roof cavities on ridgelines, gutter lines, roof valleys and vents or windows broken by flying debris. Embers coming into contact with timber decks, window and door frames can start fires. Buildings can also ignite due to radiant heat or direct flame contact.
If you live near bushland, your property is at risk of being exposed to very hot fire and many embers. Embers – burning debris such as leaves, twigs and bark – can travel many kilometres ahead of a fire and often arrive long before the fire front. They can also continue to land long after the fire has passed your home.
A reliable full-deluge sprinkler system can wet down embers and increase the chances of your home surviving a bushfire. It can also remedy weaknesses in the design or siting of your buildings, protecting gaps and entry points from ember attack.
Installation of a full-deluge sprinkler system will protect all vulnerable areas of a building. Sprinkler systems in the past have proved to be one of the most effective measures for protecting houses from radiant heat and ember attack during a bushfire.
Use your sprinkler system to wet the buildings’ façade (including walls, eaves, and rooftops) and any vegetation and fine debris in the immediate vicinity of the home. Do this as the bushfire approaches your home and until long after the fire front has passed. Wind-driven embers can arrive long before (or after) the fire front reaches your location.
Consider installing extra water sources to prolong the protection offered by your sprinkler system. The longer your system runs and wets down your buildings the better their chance of withstanding ember attack, radiant heat and flame contact.
Bushfires are unpredictable, and recently they have behaved in ways never before witnessed. Nobody can guarantee safety or effective protection during the bushfires we may face, but a full deluge sprinkler system will increase the chances of your home surviving the fire.
Stay informed
For further information, see the CSIRO bushfire best practice guide:
research.csiro.au/bushfire/new-builds/sprinklers-and-shutters/
Bushfire is unpredictable
Sadly, there is no responsible way to guarantee that your home will survive a bushfire. Climate change has increased both the severity and unpredictability of bushfires. Great Ocean Plumbing sprinkler systems will help to defend your buildings and assets but may not be sufficient on their own to protect against any or all bushfires. We strongly recommend that they be used in conjunction with as many current bushfire-protection measures as possible.
The content of this website is provided for general information only. Great Ocean Plumbing makes every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained on this site, however, this information is provided on the understanding that all people accessing the site are responsible for assessing the accuracy of its content and the suitability of Great Ocean Plumbing services for their particular circumstances.
