Dark FaultFire
Fire gives warmth, boils water, cooks food, dries clothes and signals for help. It also burns down forests and kills people in tents. Build it small and never leave it.
What fire needs
Fire needs heat, fuel and air. Take away any one and it goes out.
Gather before you light
Collect three piles before you strike anything, each about twice what you think you need.
| Pile | What | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Tinder | Dry grass, birch bark, cattail fluff, pine needles, cotton balls with petroleum jelly, dryer lint | Fine, hair-thin |
| Kindling | Dry twigs and split sticks that snap cleanly | Pencil-lead to thumb-thick |
| Fuel | Dead, dry branches off the ground; split logs | Wrist-thick and up |
In wet weather, dead branches still on the tree are drier than wood on the ground. Split wood to reach the dry inside. Shave thin curls on a stick ("feather sticks") for kindling.
Lighting
- Clear a spot down to bare soil, away from overhanging branches, roots and tents. Ring it with rocks, but not river rocks: wet stones can burst.
- Make a loose nest of tinder. Lean kindling over it like a teepee, leaving a gap on the windward side.
- Light the tinder from the windward side, low down. Blow gently at the base.
- Add kindling, then fuel, as each catches. Too much too soon smothers it.
| Igniter | Works wet? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lighter | Mostly, once dried | Keep one in a pocket for warmth |
| Waterproof matches | Yes | Store in a sealed case |
| Ferro rod | Yes | Scrape hard and fast onto fine tinder; thousands of strikes |
| 9 V battery and steel wool | No (wool must be dry) | Touch both terminals to the wool |
Safety
- Never use a fire, stove or heater inside a tent, car or closed room. Carbon monoxide has no smell and kills.
- Keep water or soil nearby. Put the fire out cold: drown, stir, drown again. Hold the back of your hand just above the ashes; if it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.
- Check fire restrictions; many areas ban open fires in dry seasons.
Sources
- US Army Techniques Publication ATP 3-50.21, Survival, chapter on firecraft (US government work, public domain)
- Smokey Bear: Campfire safety (Ad Council and USDA Forest Service; links only)
- CDC: Carbon monoxide poisoning (US government, public domain)