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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author
Fire at Burnley bouldering walls

VCC
7-Aug-2014
3:04:21 AM
Apparently someone has been planning to have a bonfire down at Burnley, and had collected a pile of scrap wood in preparation.

I want to get the message to them that this would be a very Bad Idea. I have also been in contact with Parks Victoria and asked them to remove the wood.

We rely on good relations with PV and Transurban to use the area, and setting up fires on their land and under their infrastructure does not help.

Not just the obvious risk of having a fire next to the rubber mats (flammable), plywood walls (flammable) and plastic holds (flammable), but all under a highway flyover where any disruption is quickly going to get into million$$$.

It doesn't even need to get out of control, just someone from across the river reporting Fire Under The Highway, for them to have to close the road until the Firies and Police can find their way in to see what it going on. Then somebody starts doing risk analysis and thinking maybe it's not such a good idea to have a climbing wall under our expensive bridge after all, and the Walls are gone. < rant over >

If anyone knows who this was, tell them not to do it again. And if you see anyone doing anything similar, please report it.
evdog
7-Aug-2014
3:11:49 PM
Don't know the guys name but saw the wood being cut Tues night. Never met the guy before, don't believe he lives locally. He seemed very friendly and as I left invited me to a party to be held at the walls this Fri night (as in tomorrow) with a 'good crew, sound system and DJ's'. He had a power supply and saw (to cut the wood) and seemed very organised so I kind of assumed this shin dig was a council approved VCC function with a wood burning BBQ or something. If your plan is to foil this party (and certainly that is a good plan), then perhaps maintain a presence Fri night. I'd offer but I wont be round. Be nice, this guy might be misguided but he certainly meant no harm. He was bouldering a bit so I'm sure he would listen to reason and fellow climbers.

shortman
7-Aug-2014
3:21:04 PM
Underground raves have been going on down at the walls area for years...long before boulderers claimed it as their space..(It's a good winter spot because of protection from the weather.)

There will likely be 100's of people attending, most of which will be of the non confrontational variety...my advice would be to either get rid of the wood tonight, or soak it.
patto
7-Aug-2014
5:51:51 PM
Any fire under the freeway has the potential to cause multi-million dollar damage. On that freeway there is steel reinforcing that was added afterwards. (Remember the long period of construction that blocked us from the wall.)

This exposed steel is vulnerable to heat damage in ways that most such structures are not. (Steel doesn't need to melt to be weakened, and that steel is under high stress of pretension!)

You can guarantee having the area blocked off if the authorities/engineers knew that fires were being lit!

Climboholic
7-Aug-2014
8:53:42 PM
I call BS. The temperatures reached from the residual heat of a campfire are nowhere near high enough to temper steel.

ChuckNorris
7-Aug-2014
9:46:40 PM
The message of this thread is not about calling bs on a technicality.

It's about stuffing up access to a great resource that can be shut down by bureaucrats that call bs on smart arses that call bs on the effect of bonfires under freeways.

patto
7-Aug-2014
10:00:38 PM
On 7/08/2014 Climboholic wrote:
>I call BS. The temperatures reached from the residual heat of a campfire
>are nowhere near high enough to temper steel.

Don't be a idiot. Residual heat? Temper? Campfire? Who said anything about any of these? I believe bonfire was mentioned though.

The effects of heat on steel is well known. In fact a key part of fire safety of any building is protecting steel members from the effects of fire is well known. Billions is spent on protecting steel from fire, whether it be the now banned asbestos insulation, concrete cover, or intumescent paint. Suggesting that steel does not need to be protected from fire is laughable.

A wood fire can certainly reach hot enough temperatures to be of concern. Whether those high temperature actually reaches the steel members is less clear. Sure a small campfire is unlikely to be an issue. But that isn't the point.

Those who own, manage and are responsible for the safety of the infrastructure would see it as an unacceptable risk.

There are 7 messages in this topic.

 

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