Fire Safe homes and rooms with ICF
In the image above, we can see the ICF homes that survived the devastation.
The two ICF below are “before and after” with direct fire in a devastation severe bush fire scenario.
FIRE SAFE HOMES AND ROOMS SAVE LIVES. CALL US NOW 0499777702
yaron@housekonsept.com.au
Bushfires and grassfires are common throughout Australia. Grassfires are fast-moving, passing in five to ten seconds and smouldering for minutes.
The Australian climate is generally hot, dry and prone to drought. Some parts of Australia are prone to bushfires at any time of the year. The continent’s different weather patterns reflect the widely varied fire seasons. For most of southern Australia, the danger period is summer and autumn. The peak risk for New South Wales and southern Queensland usually occurs in spring and early summer. The Northern Territory experiences most of its fires in winter and spring.
- Between 1967 and 2013, major Australian bushfires have resulted in over 8000 injuries and 433 fatalities, close to 50 per cent of all deaths from major Australian natural disasters (excluding heatwaves). Over this period, bushfires cost approximately 4.7 billion Australian dollars, including deaths and injuries but excluding most indirect losses.
- A fire front advances faster when travelling upslope and slows travelling downslope. The speed of a fire front run will double for every 10-degree increase in slope so that on a 20-degree incline, its rate is four times greater than over flat ground.
How ICFs Perform in a Fire
ICFs are leading the pack regarding fire safety as they provide a solid concrete exterior with a 3- to 4-hour fire rating. While the exterior Styrofoam insulation simply melts off with direct fire, the solid concrete core will give your family the protection they need to get to safety.
Concrete doesn’t burn like homes made from other materials. Even steel can bend and soften, which compromises building safety. In ‘fire-wall’ tests, ICF walls have been subjected to continuous gas flames with temperatures exceeding 2000°F for as long as four hours. Not one of the walls made from ICFs has failed structurally, and it shows up well when compared to wood-frame homes, which typically collapse after being exposed to fire for an hour or less. Wood-frame homes are structurally unstable much sooner, and deaths and injuries can occur from collapsing walls and falling debris.
If you are worried about the fumes from melting Styrofoam, a Southwest Pacific Research Institute study found that the emissions from burning Styrofoam are “no more toxic” than smoke from wood-frame housing.
So reliable and robust are ICFs that they are also being utilized in military buildings. In 2003, the military conducted a series of blast resistance tests at the Quantico Marine Base, where ICF walls survived explosions as close as six feet. Another trial in 2007 in Florida showed ICFs could withstand sustained fire from a 50-calibre machine gun.
“Since September 11th, all military buildings must have force protection built in,” says a spokesman for the military. “ICF construction is the most cost-effective way to achieve that.”
FIRE SAFE HOMES AND ROOMS SAVE LIVES. CALL US NOW 0499777702
yaron@housekonsept.com.au
Insulated Concrete Forms Home Offers Lower Energy Bills, Healthier Living Environment and Complete Peace of Mind
- Stands up to fire, noise, sun, wind, rain, snow, bugs, mold and inevitable Acts of God
- Provides years of hassle-free living while saving you 35% to 60% on heating bills along the way
- Safer, stronger and healthier
- Blends character and timeless beauty with the kind of quality materials and workmanship that give you a great sense of pride and satisfaction
- Less polluting and more energy efficient than R-2000 home
