Fire is a natural element of earth. It is essential to our survival. In many cases fire helps us achieve many great things and it brings about renewal and regeneration. Fire freshens stale vegetation and landscape, making it the giver of life. It brings about warmth and has provided us with comfort through the millennia. Giving us a place to cook, providing us with security and keeping away the darkness. We use and control fire to our advantage, which distinguishes us from other species. Fire on the other hand can be very dangerous. It can destroy everything in its path. Fire does not like to be restricted. It wants to expand and consume. As it grows, it becomes stronger and gains more power. When it comes to our property, fire can easily destroy our home. If your home has even been a victim to fire, you already know the extensive damage fire can do. Even if you have never been a victim to fire, you can imagine the destruction and severe damage fire is capable of. We all know the cost of fire. Fire stops at nothing and destroys trees, buildings and anything else in its wake.
In Australia, summer bushfires have destroyed many homes, ecosystems and sadly, lives. Australia is a country that is regularly ravaged by dangerous bushfires of varying proportions. They are very common but do not always end in catastrophe. Bushfires have been part of the Australian landscape and they are a regular cycle in our climate. They have been around for an estimated 60 million years. Bushfires have shaped our environment and many fire-adapted plant species have managed to survive bushfire, so why can’t we? Every year we see and hear about uncontrolled bushfires that engulf houses and properties. Most times, houses and properties are left ruined where the only option left is to rebuild and restart. The dry and hot Australian climate during summer, combined with hot winds, nurture bushfires and they can get out of control. Bushfires are caused by low humidity, strong winds and high temperatures. These conditions create the worst fires as strong winds allow the rapid spread of fire. They can also be caused by lightning, careless people and arsonists. These three factors are the main reasons that trigger bushfires in Australia. Fuel loading and human activity are important factors to fire risks, however, the factors mentioned influence the number, size, and intensity of bushfires in Australia. Many Australian native plants such as eucalyptus trees and bushes that contain oils, contribute to bushfires. This is because these types of plants burn easily in dry conditions. In urban areas, fuels such as mulch, timber decks, and housing materials that dry out in high heat and low humidity helps feed the flames. Australia’s climate is changing due to climate change. Australia is becoming hotter and droughts and heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense. As a result of climate change, it creates favourable conditions for more dangerous and more frequent bushfires. This significantly increases bushfire risk. The fire season is known to be during summer, but now it is spreading further into spring and autumn. Because of this, there are fewer opportunities for authorities to conduct hazard-reduction burns. As bushfires are getting bigger and more dangerous, we have to decide to work with them or against them.
Bushfire prone areas must adapt to bushfires by constructing fire-proof homes. With the available technology in this day and age, we can combat the destruction of fire. Building houses and other types of buildings that can withstand extreme weather is challenging. Houses built to survive fires are even more so challenging. The house must be able to withstand direct flames and high temperatures. It also needs to be strong enough to maintain its structure in high winds and when flying embers are blown onto the house. It is very difficult to build a house that is able to completely survive in a fire, but there are ways to make a house safer in an event of a fire. At FireCrunch, we are a proudly Australian owned and operated company providing fire resistant building boards. Our top priority is to provide fire protection to properties throughout Australia. We acknowledge the harsh and unforgiving Australian climate; therefore, we produce our building boards to the highest standards. We are an industry leader when it comes to providing alternative Australian certified building solutions.
Our fire resistant building boards are rigorously tried and tested by CSIRO with Building Code of Australia (BCA) standard CSIRO certificates for bushfire safe building. The bushfire safe building tests are conducted in “real time†Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) Flame Zone (FZ) conditions. This ensures that in event of an actual bushfire, your property will be protected by our fire rated building boards. Our fire resistant building boards are also tested by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Organisation to a Fire Resistance Level (FRL) of 90/90/90. For those who are unaware, FRL is defined as the grading period in minutes without any failures for three criteria which include structural adequacy, integrity, and insulation. With a FRL of 90/90/90, FireCrunch has 90 minutes of structural adequacy, 90 minutes of integrity and 90 minutes of insulation. Structural adequacy is a measure of a tested assembly to be carried by a predetermined load during fire conditions. It is the ability to maintain stability and adequate load bearing capacity as determined by AS 1530.4 (methods of fire tests on building materials, components, and structures). Therefore, our fire resistant building boards are tested to be load bearing during fire conditions and lasts 90 minutes of structural adequacy. The measure of integrity is how long the building boards can restrict the passage of flames and hot gasses as specified by AS 1530.4. FireCrunch can resist the passage of flames and hot gasses for 90 minutes. Lastly, insulation is the ability to maintain a temperature over the whole of the unexposed surface below that specified by AS 1530.4. FRLs are about how well a system of components contains a fire. One way to reduce the effects of a fire it to use materials on the walls, floor, and ceiling that don’t encourage fire and smoke. By installing FireCrunch in your home, our fire resistant building material range protects your home.
Conventional building is not only expensive but may not protect your home very well. There is a significant amount of media footage covering conventional built homes using conventional fire tested plasterboards, however these types of building boards do not necessarily survive bushfires and firestorms. At FireCrunch, our building boards can be used for multiple applications. Whether you are constructing your walls, floors, ceilings, decks, bathroom, or kitchen, FireCrunch has got you covered. Our fire rated building boards can be used for internal as well as exterior applications and no special tools are required for installation. FireCrunch is 8 to 10 times stronger than plasterboard. It is not only less expensive, but is ultra-lightweight. FireCrunch is made out of a mixture of magnesium oxide, non-organic minerals, bonders, and fibre mesh composites. Due to its high quality material properties, our fire rated building boards does not deteriorate or warp in water. If you live in heavy rainfall or flooding prone areas, FireCrunch is a perfect solution. Less replacement is required which saves you both money and time. All you need to do is simple unscrew and clean the building boards, sand and repaint them. Our magnesium oxide building board has many benefits apart from fire and water resistance. FireCrunch is termite resistant as insects have no interest in it due to its unique composite mix. You do not have to worry about termites and the like eating away at your home. As mentioned before, FireCrunch is stronger than plasterboard and is impact resistant due to its durability. Our products are of superior quality and replacement and maintenance is never an issue. FireCrunch is completely free of harmful chemicals and toxins including formaldehyde, silica, asbestos, heavy metals, and organic solvents. We acknowledge the need for safe construction materials and we care about your health. FireCrunch is mould, moisture and bacteria resistant. It does not provide an environment for mould and bacteria spores to spread. For this reason, our products are great for hospitals and schools where health is a priority. In addition, our fire rated building boards are sound resistant. FireCrunch has a high acoustic rating and the greater the thickness, the higher the rating.
We place the safety and security of our Australia wide customers and pride ourselves on delivering second to none fire resistant building boards. FireCrunch comes in a variety of sizes, thickness, weight and edges used for different projects. Not only do we emphasise the importance of providing quality waterproof building boards, but also the importance of sustaining the environment. FireCrunch is 100% recyclable and can be recut and reused. We are highly conscious of the environment and our planet. We are dedicated to environmentally responsible manufacturing of our building boards and minimise carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change is real and it hugely affects the rate of bushfires in Australia. Decreasing our carbon footprint can help reduce the rate of climate change and with a 90% drawback of carbon dioxide emissions during manufacturing, FireCrunch is almost a carbon neutral product.
Superior quality building boards, highly resistant to fire as well as other factors discussed, environmentally friendly, and health conscious, you can’t go wrong with FireCrunch. We want you and your family to stay safe with our fire resistant, fire rated building boards. We all must act now to adapt to fire. Feel the ease and comfort of living in your home with FireCrunch, the utmost distinguished and dedicated provider of sustainable, fire resistant building boards.