Fire shelters &

Fireproof dome buildings

FEEL SECURE & SAFE ON YOUR PROPERTY ANY TIME, ALL THE TIME !

Petal Series

Fireproof School 80m2

Two storey Fireproof House with garage

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Oval: WALLS ARE DESIGNED TO WITHHOLD FLAME ATTACK FOR WELL OVER 200 MINUTES The maximum length of a bushfire storms about 20 minutes

Aerated Concrete:

Concrete as we know is a mixture of (mostly) silicate based aggregate, cement & water.

1. There are many types of concrete products on the market and coming up frequently as technology advances. Among them presently there are only two types which can withhold extreme heat for 4 hours without cracking and deforming (pending of wall thickness). Both of them were invented in Europe decades ago. From these two, there is one suitable for our product. It is much lighter then ordinary concrete and does not release toxic fumes when it’s heated. It was tested in Australia and proven to withhold flames for more then 4 hours! We are not disclosing the product’s name till our Fire Shelter officially tested in a laboratory.

2. The best insulator is the air (or gases composing of air). Up to 100mm thickness of air this rule is upheld. All solid materials which are composed of lots of air inclusions are good heat and noise insulators. It does not mean they are fire resistant . The material’s basic molecular set up must be non combustible to resist fire.

3. Aerated concrete is relatively soft and non load bearing (because the amount of air bubble content). The concrete surface needs protection and reinforcing . Reinforcing is made from steel and steel is a very good heat carrier! Our design solved and curbed out these problems. How? (that is our company’s trade secret).

Safety :

Cars have safety equipment, ships have life boats– Our fire shelters are also equipped with safety features:

1. Smoke; prevention from fumes entering to internal air, the only gaps (round the door) will be insulated with brush type insulating strips.

2. Oxygen, air: When the firestorm suddenly hits the surrounding area it sucks out the oxygen from the air, causing depression for a short period.

The insulation round the door will prevent sudden internal air pressure drop.

The smoke entry & air pressure drop with oxygen deprivation are main concerns. They can not be solved just with good airtight insulation! Extreme conditions mean you need extreme precautions.

That's where are our innovative technical solutions add up.

· Scuba air cylinders would be employed to provide slight over pressure to prevent the above concerns.

· The water tanks gives some natural air cooling facility.

· The air cylinders also provide extra fresh air for longer periods when the firestorm of maximum 20 min period is over. The extra air on hand itself is boosting confidence in a very scary situation.

· The unique shape is very important in the obscured visibility conditions for the shelter seekers and most importantly for the rescuers.

· The warning lights help not just the land bound rescue team but the air aid as well (water bombing)

· The compulsory data entry with Fire authorities, the position and permit number identification will help organizing very efficient rescue operations.

To achieve the last point we need your help to convince politicians to become actively involved to make fire shelters compulsory like seatbelts in cars.

There are no other alternatives. Your car can brake down, the wind can change, obstacles are blocking the road, if a family member is bed bound, or too old to move, any unfortunate thing can happen and you need a stable safety point. Here we try to help you grab the opportunity and feel safe when the next bushfire season is approaching.

Please push you local MP. or the Fire authority in this direction. Push the red shield on the top of this page to support us as well, so you can have your fire shelter on your land in the very near future.

If you can not afford to pay the indicated amount for fire shelter the best thing is to hire purchase or ask your local MP.(Member of Parliament) to take steps to introduce an interest-free loan facility for this purpose.

FEEL SECURE & SAFE ON YOUR PROPERTY ANY TIME, ALL THE TIME !

Recommendation

Before purchasing a shelter the local Fire Authority & Council with the land owner should mark the appropriate place for FIGLOO.

Preferably: visually well exposed , clear and relatively short distance from the house.

The shelter’s place must be on firm, levelled ground, away from any water run off.

50-100 mm clear compacted sand or aggregate (blue metal) needs to be applied on the levelled ground surface. The bottom ring block needs to be covered up to it’s rim with any clear non combustible materials like: sand, aggregate or pebbles, paving around the height of the door threshold is best, providing better access for wheelchairs and it makes frequent cleaning easier.

After FIGLOO is placed on the land the Local Fire brigade should have the exact position documented and stored in a practical way to get access immediately when they are needed.

Clearance of vegetation, maintenance of safety equipments: air cylinders, warning light’s turning mirror, window safety plug, door sealers condition : needs to be checked every year by local Fire brigades.

There is easy level access for elderly or injured people and it is also suitable for wheel chair access, this is a main advantage over underground bunkers.

Fireproof windows make outside conditions observable and make it possible to assess conditions for leaving the shelter safely.

The shelter’s door is made from aerated concrete same as the walls and will be tested for 4 hours fire proofing.

The air inside the shelter is enough for 2 hours for the nominated number of persons. For additional time (extra 2 hours) scuba air cylinder would be placed in the sitting plastic tanks. All FIGLOO’s are designed to accommodate more persons than is nominated, but additional air cylinders must be provided and official approval is necessary.

The scuba air cylinders provide extra air pressure to have quality air internally and keep any smoke penetration out. Water & ice can be stored in the built-in sitting boxes. This keeps air temperature consolidated, comfortable for longer periods of time.

Goulburn Bushfire Operational Manager ; Mr Ian Kennerly was presented with our designs and an 1 : 10 scaled gypsum model of FIGLOO 06.

He had some very useful practical advices.- “The shape of the proposed fire shelter and the warning lights built in the top Key panel are very important elements of the rescue aspect”- he summarised. He has mechanical qualifications and many years of fire fighting experience in the front line.

FEEL SECURE & SAFE ON YOUR PROPERTY ANY TIME, ALL THE TIME !