Fire planning in a settlement means designing the layout so that one burning building cannot set the whole settlement alight: keep at least 5 m between homes and 10 m between homes and workshops, cut fire breaks 5-10 m wide between building clusters, keep at least 200 L of water at every cluster, and mark one assembly point large enough for everyone. A settlement without a fire service cannot put out a fully burning building, so every measure aims at containing it.
Part of Settlement Layout for 150 People
Fire and safety planning builds protection into a settlement’s layout: spacing between buildings, cleared breaks, water for fighting fire and a place to gather.
Layout Is The Only Fire Service You Can Be Sure Of
Once a building is fully involved in fire, a community with buckets cannot save it; its goal then is to protect the neighbours. That is decided long before the fire, by how far apart the buildings are, what they are made of and which way the wind blows. The layout guide lists the measures, and the fire guide adds the detail (Fire Prevention in Settlements).
The layout guide’s figures:
- 5 m minimum between residential buildings, 10 m between residential and industrial zones.
- Fire breaks of 5-10 m between building clusters, which can double as paths, gardens or play areas.
- No flammable storage within 10 m of any building.
- Water barrels of 200 L or more at every cluster.
- One emergency assembly point at the communal green, large enough for the whole population.
Three articles expand these: Fire Breaks and Building Spacing, Water Points for Fire Fighting and Emergency Assembly Areas.
What You Need
- A wind direction record — sparks travel downwind
- A roof material plan — metal, tile or sod rather than thatch
- Stored water and buckets at the clusters, not inside buildings
- An alarm everyone can hear
Method
Step 1: Set spacing to the table above, doubling it for timber or thatch walls.
Step 2: Cut the breaks and keep them cleared; a break overgrown with dry grass is a fuse.
Step 3: Place water at each cluster and within 30 m of every building.
Step 4: Practise. The fire guide recommends monthly bucket-brigade practice and a night watch.
Common Mistakes
- Building dense for convenience — close spacing multiplies fire spread.
- Roofing with thatch near workshops.
- Storing buckets inside the buildings that burn.
Safety
Get people out first
In an occupied building, the first priority is the people, not the water. Sound the alarm, get everyone out and count them at the assembly point before anyone fights the fire.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Fire Breaks and Building Spacing — the arithmetic of how far is far enough
- Combine with: Plaster as a Fire Barrier — protecting bale walls