Australia’s experts in bushfire property protection will be out in force to speak with residents of bushfire prone areas in Australia’s only Bushfire Building Expo at Springwood on 10 September. Source: Timberbiz
The Expo, in its third year has become a must do calendar event with over 1500 people attending last year to learn more about the leading technology, products and professional services necessary to build in a bushfire prone area. The free community event produced by Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise (BMEE), showcases building products, bushfire consultants, architects, builders, landscapers, designers, and insurers.
The Expo will also feature community information sessions, presenting essential information for all residents living in bushfire-prone areas. “Last year more than 620 people attended the information sessions. This year we have an even more unique and interesting program, covering topics such as getting insurance right, what is a BAL rating, why do houses burn down, etc. This year we are also running a Mythbusters session where we will have experts break apart some of the misconceptions that exist such as: ‘My house is brick so it won’t burn down’, ‘We built to Flame Zone standard, so all the neighbours can shelter at our place if a fire comes,’ and others,” said BMEE CEO, Jacqueline Brinkman.
For the first time, BMEE will also be screening a series of films including the highly popular “Fire Stories – A Lesson in Time”, produced by the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute. The film captures the human stories surrounding the devastating bushfires which tore through Leura and Wentworth Falls in 1957-58. In addition, the SBS documentary “Bushfire – Inside the Inferno” will be screened. “We are fortunate and incredibly grateful to have been given permission to screen these films as part of the Expo program. Both provide incredible first-hand accounts from firefighters and survivors from the notorious Blue Mountains fire in the 1950s and of course the much more recent 2013 bushfires,” said Ms Brinkman.
NSW RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers urged residents to attend the Expo which is designed to help people understand the bushfire risk in their area and how to best prepare. “This event is a great initiative to help residents fully understand their risk and, more importantly act on it. The NSW Rural Fire Service will be on hand to help people better plan for the event of a bushfire.” said Mr Rogers.
“The community will be out and about that day casting their vote in the local election, so we urge them to pop into the Expo on their way to or from the polling booth,” said Ms Brinkman.
The day prior to the Bushfire Building Expo, BMEE is once again presenting the Bushfire Building Conference on Friday, 9 September. This is the only national event that brings together builders, architects, designers, planners, researchers, regulators and insurers to explore issues around building in a bushfire-prone area. Highly popular last year with over 160 delegates, this year’s conference will once again feature Australia’s experts in planning, design and building in bushfire prone areas.
“This year’s conference will cover new ground including the findings from the 2015 Wye River fire near the Great Ocean Road and the latest on regulations and building innovation from around the country. The conference has become known as a great forum for anyone working in the building or planning industries to learn more about the increasing risk of bushfire,” said Jacqueline Brinkman, CEO of Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise.
With speakers and delegates from as far afield as Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland and Victoria, the conference is appealing to a wide and diverse audience. This event started as a bushfire recovery initiative following the Blue Mountains bushfires in 2013. The bushfire Building Conference and Expo has fast become an important calendar event contributing the development of Australia’s expertise in building and designing for bushfire prone areas.
“Australia has the opportunity to be the world’s best at designing for and building in bushfire prone areas. With our experience, our research, our history and our competitiveness this is an ideal knowledge export for this country and this event is the perfect vehicle for these efforts,” said Ms Brinkman.
The Bushfire Expo (Saturday Sep 10) is a free community event from 9am-4pm.
The Bushfire Conference (Friday Sep 9) is a ticketed event ($195). To register here – from 8.30am-5pm
This event is made possible, thanks to Major Partner, the NSW Rural Fire Service and Gold Sponsors, Sonnenschutz and Exfire.
