Angus Holmes knows fires. He worked for Fire Rescue NSW for 33 years-the last 14 years as Station Commander-but says the bushfire that threatened his home on January 4 was “the worst I have ever experienced.“
Recently retired, Angus lives with his wife in a bushland locality called Woodburn about 6 kms from Ulladulla on the southern NSW coast. He knew the risks of fire and had prepared for it.
He had set up pumps and hoses around the house, cleared all the combustible material off the veranda and installed stainless steel window screens around the house. With his neighbours he’d also cleared vegetation from around their homes.
Angus went one crucial step further though. They contracted Bill Hayes of Blaze Control to install a bespoke copper sprinkler system for the roof and walls of the house at a cost of $27,000.
And then they waited. The first fire arrived on 20th of December, burning away much of the surrounding undergrowth but sparing the house.
The fire on the 4th of January was a completely different story.
“I waited till I saw the first embers floating though the air before going down to turn on our 45,000 litre water tank using the installed petrol driven water pump. I delayed turning it on as we had already used half the water in the previous fire.”
“Seconds after I decided to act day turned to night a ‘velvet black’ fell over what had moments ago been broad daylight and I couldn’t see a thing. I groped down to the water tank and managed to turn on the pump but couldn’t hear it running as the roar of the fire and wind was so loud.”
Angus struggled back to the house against a tornado whipped up by the firestorm taking shelter inside with his wife “it was not survivable outside” they waited out the worst of the fire to pass. Once outside again they started extinguishing spot fires around the house and shed.
The copper sprinkler systems covered the roof and walls of the house and sprayed a fine mist over the house at an economical rate of 300 litres per minute. There was absolutely no damage for 1 to 1.5 metres around the house and he also had a sprinkler set over the water tanks and the metal cover around the water pump.
“We saved our house and all the out houses too. A number of my neighbours weren’t so lucky.”
“I have no doubt the sprinkler system was a significant and crucial factor in determining the outcome. While it was a big outlay it saved our lives and our home. We have a significant clean up ahead of us, but we don’t have to start from scratch rebuilding.”