Survive a bush fire (crowdfund)
Survive a bush fire (crowdfund)
24 January 2016
published by www.indiegogo.com
Australia–Short Summary
We, Tune and Ulla Johansen, have invented a fire shelter that you can survive in during a bush fire. The fire shelter is tested above and beyond the Australian standards. Other shelters already on the market have either not been tested, or only tested to the Australian standard.
It is hard to believe that in 2016 we can send people to the moon but still have not protected ourselves against the very real and increasing threat of bush fires, even though more and more people live in rural areas. When you live in a rural area it is important to ensure that you and your family will be safe in the event of a bush fire.
People loose their lives when caught in bush fires that are out of control, it just happened recently.This is avoidable through the use of non-toxic materials that has been used and tested over many years. Pumice is a natural insulator and we know it works, we are basically using natures own product to fight nature.
Our hope is that through this Indiegogo campaign, we will raise sufficient funds to obtain the Australian Standard Approval, technical drawings for the assembly of the fire shelter and further research. We aim for a simple and easy structure that is easy to build.
This fire shelter has the potential to save lives in the bush fire zones, therefore it is important for us to get our product to the market as soon as possible.
What We Need & What You Get
Every dollar raised through this campaign is valued and all funds will go to Safety of the World, helping us to get this life saving fire shelter to the market. In return we will reward you with interesting photos and video footage from the test burn, as well as a sizable discount if you wish to place an order for our fire shelter. If we do not reach the full funding, we will start with obtaining the Australian Standard Approval. It is expensive but we are confident that our fire shelters can easily pass the test as it has already proven that our fire shelter works.
What we have done
Build the fire shelter in full (we do not believe you can say people can survive simply by testing a wall which is all the Australian Standards test require).
Tested to above 1000°C with steady internal temperatures (refer to the test results in the graphs below).
Invented a heat and fire proof door for the shelter.
Installed a small window (3 cm) to be used to check if the fire has passed and avoid the spread of panic in the room.
Tested the fire shelter in real life with a simulated bush fire around the shelter conducted by the Samsonvale Rural Fire Brigade, and measurements were recorded by a independent third party, Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
What we know
We know a bush fire on average runs for approximately 15 minutes and reach temperatures between 250°C and 450°C.
Firestorms reach above 1000°C for approximately 5 minutes and often travel at speeds between 120km/h and 140km/h.
The Australian Standards require:
The testing of only one wall 3X3m with one fire door and one window
A fire proof door, with no requirement for it to be heat proof ( Our door is not only fire proof but also heat proof)
Reach 1000°C for 3 minutes only
As you can see we have tested our fire shelter above and beyond the Australian standards. We completed the test with exceptional results (see graphs below). It was a combined effort from the Samsonvale Rural Fire Brigade, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Safety of the World to ensure both accurate and independent data collection.
Even though we have exceptional results in our test burn, we would like to conduct further research into how to make a home fire proof, using our fire and heat proof building blocks. As well as how to reduce cost on our fire shelter kit, to make it more accessible to everyone living in a bush fire zone. It has been a long process (we have been working full time on this product for more than 2 years) and we are now at the point where we need funding to bring it further.
The Impact
We believe that this fire shelter has potential beyond imagination.
Our hope is that everyone living in a bush fire zone in Australia as well as the USA can get a fire shelter and not have to fear for their or their families life if they get caught in a bush fire.
During the design of the fire shelter we worked with a RPEQ certified engineer.
The Shelter is built on a strong steel frame under the heat and fireproof building blocks, and can withstand up to a magnitude three cyclone.
The design and construction has been completed so that customers can tailor their fire shelter to suit individual needs. The smallest do-it-yourself building kit is 3.2m(L)x2.7m(W)x2.7m(H) although as many extra sections (1.6m(L)x2.7m(H)) as needed can easily be purchased for expansion. All construction, including expansions, can be built without professional help, but once constructed approval is necessary by a building certifier.
Building the shelter
The Fire Shelter has a few extra features worthwhile mentioning:
– Double roof layer structure to withstand falling debris
– Custom designed steel door that is the first on the market to be both heat AND fireproof
– Window designed with glass utilised in atomic reactors to withstand temperatures of over 1600°C
– Breathable air tanks with masks. To avoid any dust or smoke in the air.
The fire shelter kit includes:
– The steel for the frame
– The building blocks
– 1 small window (additional available for purchase)
– The breathable air tanks and masks (supplied for 6 people, with additional available for purchase)
– Materials for the door
– Roof panels
– Brick glue
– 2 boxes of nail-in plugs (approximately 2000 nail-in plugs)
Not included in the fire shelter kit:
– Labour
– Concrete slab
– Certification
– Shipping
– Rendering (to make the fire shelter water proof (optional))
Risks & Challenges
Even the most perfect projects face risk and challenges.
– The biggest challenge and risk for us is that we do not obtain adequate funding to keep our project going.
– The next challenge will be the Australian Standard, and regulations.
– Convince the media, politicians and the Australian Standard Board that the standards for building fire shelters should be raised as our shelter exceed the current standards. In our fire shelter people trapped in a bush fire can survive if they follow the directions provided with the shelter.
– A user-friendly manual must also be made to avoid incorrect construction and allow shelters to perform as well as tested.
These are some of the risks and challenges we can overcome with your support.
Other Ways You Can Help
We appreciate any help we can get.
Funding is great, but we would also appreciate if you share our Indiegogo campaign or like us on Facebook. We value any word of mouth and recommendations you will give us. Please talk about us on twitter or social media and tell your family and friends who may be interested in this fire shelter.
Thank you for your support.
