No, I haven’t become a sleep therapist but I have a hot tip for getting to sleep easily. Read a government document! Before I made the big life decision to become an architect, I studied environmental science.
My thought back then was that we really needed to improve our relationship with the planet. Yes, I wanted to be a hero of green: save the trees, oceans and the koalas too. Problem was most jobs in environmental science were in industries doing most of the damage, like coal-mining. Our work was really just limiting the local pollution caused by the extraction. At best these were band-aids because, as we all know now, the main issue was the burning of the coal, not its extraction.
Anyhow, my studies meant reading a lot of reports, which takes me to my cure for insomnia. The draft Illawarra Bush Fire Risk Management Plan (IBFRMP) was on public exhibition and I made the mistake of trying to read it before bedtime. Apologies to the authors if they’re reading this – please don’t let me be misunderstood! In my uni days, I used to get excited about reading reports but I forgot the golden rule – don’t read them lying down. This kind of literature requires a stiff, freshly brewed coffee after a good sleep. Definitely not an-evening-by-the-fire-with-a-glass-of-whiskey vibe – this is not the latest Tim Winton novel.
This was supposed to be an article on bushfire and how it may relate to architecture, so in the last couple of paragraphs (should the editor allow me the above libations), herein lies my thoughts on the IBFRMP (the RFS loves a good acronym, especially if you can pronounce it without sounding alien).
The key thing I took from this document is that there is a lot of bush surrounding our small coastal settlements that makes us right royally screwed if a bushfire is sparked nearby. Four La Niñas means the bush has been busy dropping litter, bark and branches all over and should we have a shift in weather to the dreaded El Niño all of that litter will turn into fuel for the fire. So what does the IBFRMP propose? The strategy is two-fold: Community Preparedness and Fuel Management. In other words: “get the word out” and hazard reduction burns. What does that mean for us? Expect to see your local brigades doing the rounds and reminding you of all the things that need to be done to prepare for a red-hot summer.
Outside of house maintenance, this means get your emergency plan ready, tell your household and do a safety drill. Go buy a fire-proof safe or case to hold important documents and find out where your local emergency safety refuge is – mine is Pinecourt Park, Austinmer.
What I love more than reports is poring over maps. There are six maps in the IBFRMP that detail the levels of risk to an area. Take a look at these maps and locate your address. Mine is in one of the focus areas. Unfortunately, there’s not much the RFS can do here because it’s too tricky to do a hazard reduction burn. The best they can do is maintain the Asset Protection Zone (APZ) and instill the importance of good preparation.
The other great thing this little study took me to was a tool to assess your risk. This is a must. It steps you through whether you’re in a position to stay and defend and then provides a to-do list for your preparations.
It’s winter now, but some bushfire preparations are also pertinent to a house fire. And when do most house fires occur? Yep, winter. Keep warm, check your smoke alarms and keep safe!