Bunker Guidelines for Victoria, Australia
Sorry for a post with only value to my local area – but for us here it is important.
As horrible as last year’s bush fires were, on the bright side they have given rise to people wishing to do more to protect themselves. The current trend is one that dovetails in well with 2012ers – a bunker. Obviously a fire bunker is not as sophisticated as what a 2012er might build – you are unlikely to be in a fire bunker more than a couple of hours, and all it needs to withstand is fire.
Highlighting the new trend (and it’s real, a close friend has just installed a fire bunker), the Victorian Government has released interim guidelines [PDF] that cover safety standards for bushfire bunkers.
Anyone wishing to install a bunker will need to get a building permit from a surveyor, as well as the approval of a qualified fire engineer. Aside from that, there’s not too much to be concerned about. My unqualified assumption is that, were you to call it something other than a fire bunker, you could avoid the regulations (ie it could be a root cellar, wine cellar…)
The good news is that building a bunker is no longer an odd thing in Victoria, and I doubt any authority would stop you building a very, very elaborate fire bunker 
, nor would locals bat an eyelid.
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It's probably a good idea to have some diving gear, especially a few air cylinder's in the 'fire bunker' as well. =)