Protect your home from ember attack
Ember attack is where sparks and embers landing on your home trigger a fire, well before and hours after a bushfire has passed. As well as acting as a gutter guard, Blue Mountain Mesh 2mm superfine mesh acts as an ember guard, by preventing embers from entering your roof cavity.
Blue Mountain 2mm Superfine All Steel Mesh has been specifically designed to meet the Australian Standards requirements for the ember guard protection of sheet roofs for all Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL-12.5 clause 5.6.3; BAL-19 clause 6.6.3; BAL-29 clause 7.6.3; BAL-40 clause 8.6.3; BAL-FZ clause 9.6.3-2011).
The 2mm aperture is the prescribed opening to restrict burning debris from entering gaps and igniting buildings. The products have also undergone rigorous, independent testing by the CSIRO to certify that the materials used meet the definition of non-combustible prescribed in the Building Code of Australia, achieving Spread-of-Flame Index of ‘0’. (CSIRO,2009)*Donations to Ballarat SES are valid during the campaign – 1st Nov 2013 to 31st Dec 2013
Protect your home this bushfire season
Australia is considered the most fire prone country in the world. As such, bushfires are an intrinsic part of Australia’s environment. Natural ecosystems and landscapes are shaped by, and rely on, patterns of fire. But as human settlements encroach further into bushland and fire prone areas, fire poses a threat to people in nearly all parts of the country at different times of the year as different weather patterns come into play.
Why do houses burn?
House fires start in the same way as bushfires – small ignitions that progress slowly at first, then speed up to burn the whole house. There are three main ways a house can ignite during a bushfire – radiant heat ahead of the fire front, burning debris and embers falling on the building and direct flame contact. While radiant heat is the principle cause of loss of life in bushfires, it rarely causes homes or buildings to catch fire. Research has shown that the main cause of house fire during a bushfire
is from ember attack.
What is Ember Attack?
Ember attack is where sparks and embers landing on or near your home and trigger a fire well before and for hours after the bushfire has passed. Sparks and embers enter a home wherever there is a gap, such as under roofing tiles, under the floor in crevices, through broken windows (which may have exploded due to radiant heat), cracked sills and vents; and under verandas. (SA Country Fire Service 2013)
Embers can be carried by winds ahead of the actual fire – sometimes several hundred metres ahead. Even homes with well-cleared land can still be at risk of fires starting in this way, depending on how close they are to bushland or neighbouring properties that haven’t taken the same precautions.
Builders have found that the benefit of installing 2mm mesh as an ember guard is it is able to act as a gutter guard as well as an ember guard ensuring gutters are kept free of leaves and debris whilst preventing ember attack.
Blue Mountain Mesh has produced a series of free information guides. Click here to download the latest information guides on how to protect your home against ember attack and the new standards for building in bushfire-prone areas.
Ember Attack Protection Information Guide
Bushfire Building Compliance Information Guide