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Bushfire: Retrofitting Rural and Urban Fringe Structures—Implications of Current Engineering Data

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  • Glenn P. Costin

    (School of Architecture & Built Environment, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia)

Abstract

Since the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in which 173 lives were lost, two-thirds of whom died in their homes, the question of what a home prepared for bushfire looks like has been repeatedly raised. The 2019/2020 fires saw us not much further advanced. This paper seeks to consolidate what is known about bushfire behavior, its influence upon structures, and, through this data, infer improved standards of practice for retrofitting rural and urban fringe homes. In particular, the prevention of ember and smoke incursion: the data suggesting the prior as the main mechanism of home destruction; the latter as high risk to sheltering occupant health. The article is framed around a comprehensive literature review, and the author’s own experiences and observations from fire impacted structures in Victoria’s northeast. The article’s import lies in demonstrating how embers and smoke may enter homes otherwise seen to be appropriately sealed prior to the fire’s approach. Included in the findings are developed hypotheses based on thermal expansion, pressure differentials and backdraft; offering defined paths towards future research. In addition, the work provides practical advice towards mitigating the identified issues using retrofit practices based upon the author’s practical experience as a tradesperson and building designer.

Suggested Citation

  • Glenn P. Costin, 2021. "Bushfire: Retrofitting Rural and Urban Fringe Structures—Implications of Current Engineering Data," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-18, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:12:p:3526-:d:574568
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hilton, James E. & Leonard, Justin E. & Blanchi, Raphaele & Newnham, Glenn J. & Opie, Kimberley & Power, Anthony & Rucinski, Chris & Swedosh, William, 2020. "Radiant heat flux modelling for wildfires," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 62-80.
    2. Venn, Tyron J. & Quiggin, John, 2017. "Early evacuation is the best bushfire risk mitigation strategy for south-eastern Australia," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 61(3), July.
    3. Jason J. Sharples & Geoffrey J. Cary & Paul Fox-Hughes & Scott Mooney & Jason P. Evans & Michael-Shawn Fletcher & Mike Fromm & Pauline F. Grierson & Rick McRae & Patrick Baker, 2016. "Natural hazards in Australia: extreme bushfire," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 85-99, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mark B. Luther & Igor Martek & Mehdi Amirkhani & Gerhard Zucker, 2022. "Special Issue “Environmental Technology Applications in the Retrofitting of Residential Buildings”," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-4, August.

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