This package is build using the debbuild utility, version 0.9.4
which uses a RPMS based framework to create debian binaries.
For more information see :

https://secure.deepnet.cx/trac/debbuild

NOTE : The packages supplied here are built with debbuild v0.9.7
       which can be downloaded here as well at
               ftp://ftp.crashrecovery.org/pub/linux/debbuild/
       and seems to provide the best results compared with newer versions
       of debbuild.

to get going one needs to have installed : perl , pax, buil-essential
fakeroot, patch, bzip2, alien . recommended is to first do

apt-get install devscripts

One small patch has been applied to /usr/bin/debbuild :

--- debbuild    2012-04-09 04:07:35.000000000 +0200
+++ /usr/bin/debbuild   2012-05-29 14:34:28.801632845 +0200
@@ -1266,7 +1266,7 @@
     sysopen(DEBSCRIPT, $debscriptfile, O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_NOFOLLOW)
        or die "Can't open/create package-creation script file $debscriptfile: $!\n";
     print DEBSCRIPT $scriptletbase;
-    print DEBSCRIPT "fakeroot dpkg-deb -b $specglobals{buildroot}/$pkg $topdir/DEBS/$pkgdata{$pkg}{arch}/".
+    print DEBSCRIPT "fakeroot -- dpkg-deb -b $specglobals{buildroot}/$pkg $topdir/DEBS/$pkgdata{$pkg}{arch}/".
        "$pkgdata{$pkg}{name}_".
        (defined($pkgdata{main}{epoch}) ? "$pkgdata{main}{epoch}:" : '').
        "$pkgdata{$pkg}{version}-$pkgdata{main}{release}_$pkgdata{$pkg}{arch}.deb\n";