The ability to build a fire is an important skill. With a camp fire you can cook food, purify water, keep warm and keep critters out of your camp. Most often, a camp fire a place where we can gather in the evenings to roast marshmallows.
As a Boy Scout you will earn your Firem'n Chit. This shows that you have demonstrated the ability to start a campfire and that you have learned about fire sarefty. As Webelos, we are going to start to introduce fire craft. There are a few things to remember that will make your camp fire a success.
As Wolves and Bears we learned that fire needs 3 things. Fuel, Air and Heat. The fuel we use is typically firewood. The air is all around us. The heat we will provide by using a fire starter. This could be a match, a fire steel or friction. You can see a list of good fire starters here.
You also need some small material to get started. Tinder and kindling are essential to starting your campfire. Here are some tips for building campfires.
When building a fire, you must keep safety your first priority. The fire must be completely out before leaving a fire.
If you are going to have a campfire:
- Use an existing fire ring, don't create a new one. When not in a designated campground, build your fire within a ring of rocks.
- Clear all vegetation away from the fire ring (remove all flammable materials such as needles, leaves, sticks, etc.)
- Select an open level spot away from trees, logs, stumps, overhanging branches, dense dry grass, and forest litter.
- Keep your campfire small.
- Keep plenty of water and a shovel nearby for throwing dirt on the fire if it gets out of control.
- Never leave a campfire unattended! Even a small breeze could quickly cause the fire to spread. Make sure a responsible adult is always in attendance.
When putting out your campfire:
- First, drown the campfire with water!
- Next, mix the ashes and embers with soil. Scrape all partially-burned sticks and logs to make sure all the hot embers are off them.
- Stir the embers after they are covered with water and make sure that everything is wet.
- Feel the coals, embers, and any partially-burned wood with your hands. Everything (including the rock fire ring) should be cool to the touch. Feel under the rocks to make sure no embers underneath.
- When you think you are done, take an extra minute and add more water.
- Finally, check the entire campsite for possible sparks or embers, because it only takes one to start a forest fire.
- Remember…if it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.
Please take the time to completely put out your campfire, it could prevent a wildfire.
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