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Home in the trees He're a Google-Maps eye view of our house. It's the almost invisible dark green burried i nthe trees. you can see the silver Saab parked in the driveway. |
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Home in the trees He're a Google-Maps eye view of our house. It's the almost invisible dark green burried i nthe trees. you can see the silver Saab parked in the driveway. |
Comments
If I recall correctly your eaves are fairly deep?
I wonder what it would take to have a mesh or reflective cloth/fireblanket that you could hang down the front and rear to improve the protection of your timber/glass walls.
a pulley at the peak and a large metalised sail that could be hauled up and pulled tight? Then you'd only have to worry about the timber decking, but might otherwise be able to be close to fire-proof.
Also, assuming you'd put your fire plan into action and evacuated the women and children, what is your escape plan yourself? Once it gets past spot-fire fighting, you don't want to be on the roads. Do you have a natural bunker spot? (under a concrete tank or something? Or is the plan still to try to get out? I'm figuring you've likely considered all this, but so I know for my own sake if I'm helping?
It's the problem with trees isn't it. You want them close, but in the end that means risk. As you'll have guessed I'm favouring trees over fireproofedness, but it can be a hard call.
The question becomes where you are going to be when the fire front hits. As one who has volunteered to help, but don't know the location so well, I figured I'd find out where the safety retreat is (often it's the house, but better is a full concrete-protected bunker.)
Edited at 2009-02-17 10:47 am (UTC)
I'd suggest that we won't have the same policy next year - although regardless it would be good if they had some better education like "GET IN THE DAM!!! IT'LL SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!"
Minak Reserve is 300m beeline from our house, or about 450 following the road around to the next street, its a football field but its surrounded by trees, its downhill, but the route is also forested.
i have plotted a "escape by road" map, with two decent ways away, which is good as long as the fire doesn't go laterally to those routes. m'lady wife has copies as well
the other fall back positions are:
under the house (fine as long as it doesn't burn to quickly) the earth wall on one side will shelter the north side, and the garage shelters the south west corner.
the concrete water tank. Its solid, built into the hillside and concrete. IF a tree falls on it, i'd be McFucked, (that's regular fucked, with fries) but its better than roasting
and yes, its the trees. we cant fell any. We have discussed, now, for next year, and roof mounted sprinkler system / water curtain, for the front and sides.