Bushfires are common in our country and this time it is predicted that the bushfire season would start early. Bushfires are likely to happen where the weather is very hot and dry. It is, therefore, crucial for all of us to know the basics of a bush fire.
Do you remember something known as ‘fire triangle’, which was taught during the school days? The coined term – ‘fire triangle’ refers to the three elements of fire just like the three angles of a triangle. A fire can survive only in the presence of oxygen, heat and fuel. Bushfires, however, have a triangle of their own. It includes topography, fuel and weather.
Bushfires are common in our country and this time it is predicted that the bushfire season would start early. Bushfires are likely to happen where the weather is very hot and dry. It is, therefore, crucial for all of us to know the basics of a bush fire.
Do you remember something known as ‘fire triangle’, which was taught during the school days? The coined term – ‘fire triangle’ refers to the three elements of fire just like the three angles of a triangle. A fire can survive only in the presence of oxygen, heat and fuel. Bushfires, however, have a triangle of their own. It includes topography, fuel and weather.
The topography plays one major role as a bushfire element. It has a direct relation with the speed of the fire. If we were to say in simple terms, a bushfire would move faster uphill than across flat ground.
Our country is prone to extreme droughts and hot, windy days, thus making weather one of the biggest contributors to fire and its severity. The amount of humidity and damp conditions in the atmosphere decide on the spread of bushfire. The more humid, the lesser the chances of fuel consumption.
The third and one of the most important elements for a bushfire is its fuel. The speed and intensity of a bushfire depend on the availability, arrangement, size and amount of moisture content in the fuel. The finer and drier vegetation plays the perfect fuel host for bushfires. Bushfire fuel is fine fuel which is less than 6mm in diameter and therefore dried leaves, twigs and bark on the forest floor behave as the leading fuel competent.
Bushfire is one of the most horrid natural phenomena. Being stuck in a bushfire is like witnessing a true hell on earth. In a bushfire, the conditions get hot enough to melt metal, the heat fluxes can vaporise the dry vegetation and the risen smoke from this fire can turn day into night. Bushfires usually pass by in a few minutes but some can even last for days together. Here, the high winds are an utmost threat as they fan the flames leading them to spread far and wide.
At Victorian Fire Protection we understand the problems that a bushfire can cause. Right from burning down houses to filling the air with smoke, the damage is too much. It has been reported that the damage caused by bushfire across Australia costs more than £180million each year. At Victorian Fire Protection, we believe that understanding the hazards of fire, ways for its prevention and protection is important. Get in touch with us today for fire training sessions for your residential and commercial properties.