Yabby: "there will have to be state building codes and council approval of those mandatory bunkers."

Yes. But you say it like it is a bad thing. Mostly, the building codes, design rules and all sorts of other Government enforced standards are good things. I recall having some plumbing work done by a plumber around my place once. Yes, it had to be council approved. Yes, we had to pay for the council inspector to check the work. He put a bung in the pipes, filled them up with water, and then came back the next day to verify they didn't leak. Only they did leak. The leak would have been raw sewage. And the plumber was forced to fix his shoddy work before the raw sewage had a chance to leak into ground water.

That said, there is always bad eggs, and yes our laws contain a few of them. The proposed mandatory bi-annual inspections of pool fences here in Queensland springs to mind. I think the piece of legislation should be titled "the pool maintenance contractors employment act".

But on the whole design rules are a good thing. In the case of bunkers, they will ensure no enterprising young lad starts selling cheap ones made of "fireproof cardboard", or some such rubbish.

It's hearbreaking. I went for my usual run last night
and the air was thick with smoke. Fires are getting
closer and closer to Melbourne. They caught an arsonist in a
nearby suburb. Healesville Sanctuary is in danger...

Watching the ABC many questions remained unanswered.
I heard about a man being fined by his Council, $100,000
for cutting down trees near his house. It bankrupted
him, yet his house was the only one that survived the bushfire.

People were talking about having some sort of fire-alerts
in areas at risk. What ever happened to the fire-lookout
towers that used to exist in the past?

As for Fractelle - if anyone knows what's happened to her,
could they please let us know?

Let's pray that she's allright.

RobP
Yep I saw him. The power lead hole was a flaw in design. He was lucky, all those flammables/ sources of toxic gasses in there too, so close to where he was sheltering.
The power needed to be under ground I think. He would have been wise to have a separate bunker for him self.
But in the light of our recent discussion perhaps under ground bunkers might not be such a bad idea. One cautionary note fire asphyxiated animals were found in a 10 meter concrete drain as were a US family taking refuge in a large above ground concrete tank with a hatch. Clearly it’s an engineering issue, I erred oops.

"One cautionary note fire asphyxiated animals were found in a 10 meter concrete drain as were a US family taking refuge in a large above ground concrete tank with a hatch."

examinator,

I'm wondering what caused these. Was it smoke inhalation, in which case the door seal of any shelter is also a very important part of its design.

I also saw Q&A last night where the idea was put forward that bush communities at least have a communal fire bunker where everyone can congregate as a last resort. Sounds like a good idea so long as it's well designed. I was thinking what if someone comes into the bunker late. There would need to be multiple doors to stop those already inside being exposed to the heat and smoke.

One final rave to bring some of the “let’s find a culprit” curmudgeons into perspective.

Fact: “Greenies” like every one else come in a many different flavours. They all have one thing in common protecting it not destroying it.
Fact: sometimes is counter productive even dangerous to burn off.
Fact: Conditions have to be right if not oops catastrophe ….take the business people who burned off rather than bury/compost in the Stirling SA tip that caused the biggest fire in the Adelaide hills ever seen. Can we now claim business is solely responsible for fires?
Fact: there is any number of ignition sources…Broken bottles left by tourists to the area or idiot residents. One was welding in the fire brake. (Illegal)
Fact: camp fires not properly extinguished.
Fact: A discarded cigarette end by passing smokers (drivers) (I’d like 10Cents that a neighbouring paddock has been set a light by the above) (Illegal)
Fact: Exhaust pipes from bush- bashers on dirt bikes (including children.)(Illegal)
Fact: Badly maintained Quad bikes. (Illegal)
Fact: Lightening strikes.
Et al

NB Fire bugs can only set a fire that will be catastrophic if the conditions are already there. Someone Else’s Problem (SEP) attitude?

NB. Also: the hostilities I’ve faced aren’t unique the culprits are usually from those armchair, “culprit seeking” know it alls. Curmudgeons who are either overly simplistic (ignorant), or covering for their inactivity/lack of responsibility.
As an alleged greenie I and 265 other Bush carers in our Council area spend *our* time trying to maintain the balance in the bush to avoid disasters like the Vic fires. We spend varying amounts of time actually working in the bush and doing council sponsored courses so we know what we’re doing. The work is planned and overseen by onsite experts in the field(s).
Most of us simply ask the public if they don’t want to be involved or don’t care that they observe the laws, don’t be selfishly obstructionist and don’t deliberately undo our work

Examinator “Fact: sometimes is counter productive even dangerous to burn off.”

Yes but the purpose of burning off is well known and can be organised at the correct time of year. The accumulation of forest debris is not the result of a single season but decades of undue interference by green lobbyists following their selfish, twisted, maniacal objectives.

“there is any number of ignition sources”

But the ignition source would be irrelevant if the fuel source was diminished by prior and regular back burning

“As an alleged greenie I and 265 other Bush carers in our Council area spend *our* time trying to maintain the balance in the bush to avoid disasters like the Vic fires”

Have trumpet will blow or do is that a Mother Theresa complex ?

“Most of us simply ask the public if they don’t want to be involved or don’t care that they observe the laws, don’t be selfishly obstructionist and don’t deliberately undo our work”

So, I assume you agree with this “curmudgeon” that the actions of green activists in tampering with fire breaks carries with it a criminal culpability