Refuge against

By Casey Neill
BLACK Saturday bushfire survivor Andrew Berry said sprinklers and a concrete fire shelter saved his family’s lives.
Mr Berry has since helped fire experts design Firesafe Shelters and personally recommends the Wombat underground fire shelter.
“When your home is on fire you want somewhere to go,” he said.
“If you get caught out, you have peace of mind because you’ve got emergency shelter.”
“You have the ability to survive the worst possible scenario.”
Experts use reinforced concrete to construct the bunker and fit a fire proof door with vision panel to keep an eye on the danger.
The bunkers include a first aid kit, fire blanket, battery-free torch, fire extinguisher and a tank of compressed air and they can comfortably accommodate six to eight people.
The ferocious Black Saturday fire front flattened Mr Berry’s Kinglake home.
“You can survive the worst possible scenario if you are prepared,” he said.
“We had a full-on sprinkler system covering the entire exterior of our home, going flat out, but it still caught on fire and we were in it.”
“Thankfully, we had an emergency fire shelter to go to. They work.”
Mr Berry said preparation was the key to surviving a bushfire.