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Steps to building a Campfire
Safely
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Build campfires away from overhanging
branches, steep slopes, rotten stumps, logs, dry grass, and leaves. Pile any
extra wood away from the fires.
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Keep plenty of water handy and have a
shovel for throwing dirt on the fire if it gets out of control.
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Start with dry twigs and small sticks.
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Add larger sticks as the fire builds up.
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Put the largest pieces of wood on last,
pointing them toward the center of the fire, and gradually push them into the
flames.
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Keep the campfire small. A good bed of
coals or a small fire surrounded by rocks gives plenty of heat. Scrape away
litter, duff, and any burnable material within a 10-foot-diameter circle. This
will keep a small campfire from spreading.
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Be sure your match is out. Hold it until
it is cold. Break it so that you can feel the charred portion before
discarding it. Make sure it is cold out. Conserve matches---carry a candle as
a fire starter.
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Never leave a campfire unattended. Even
a small breeze could quickly cause the fire to spread.
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Drown the fire with water. Make sure all
embers, coals, and sticks are wet. Move rocks---there may be burning embers
underneath.
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Stir the remains, add more water, and
stir again. Be sure all burned material has been extinguished and cooled. If
you do not have water, use dirt. Mix enough soil or sand with the embers.
Continue adding and stirring until all material is cooled.
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Feel all materials with your bare hand.
Make sure that no roots are burning. Do not bury your coals---they can smolder
and break out.
Building a Campfire in Rainstorm
Tip donated by Don Berry
Most people can build a campfire and roast
marshmallows. But not everyone can build a respectable fire in the midst of a
rainstorm, nor can they build one with "artistic flair". I am going to teach you
how to accomplish this. My methods are guaranteed to work in a down pour,
provided that wind velocities, accompanying the rain, do not exceed about 20
mph.
(Not that everyone wants to. But, if you ever
need to, follow Don's tips.)
You will need tools.
- A dry match
- A small knife
- And, if you must chop wood, an ax (or
better yet a campers saw)
The Best Wood is Dead Wood
It's dry and . . . (newsflash) . . . if
it's raining it's dry on the inside.
You're going to cut some shavings from small
sticks that are lying around. Some dry paper will help if you have it.
Stick these in your pocket, near to your skin for warmth. Remember, it's raining
and you must have dry tinder to light with your dry match. Try putting it in
your shirt. You need maybe two handfuls of 'stuff'.
You can now proceed with the rest of the agenda while the 'stuff' is drying out.
Methodology
- Find about a dozen logs18" in length and
2",3",4" diameter (anything close is good enough)
- Arrange them in this manner: Build a square
with each log on top and on the bottom of its neighbor so that gaps for air
flow are formed. (extremely important here)
Do not, under any circumstances, stand the wood up like army rifles in a civil
war camp.
- Build up a pyramid by laying down
successive layers just like the former.
Leave a hole in the top.
- Get a bunch of twigs and sticks ~18" long
of varying diameters (1/4",1/2", 1",etc.) and shove these down the hole in the
manner of the formerly banned civil war rifles. (Yeah . . . they're wet. It's
OK.)
- Now, hunch over your creation to block the
rain and insert the now dry 'stuff' from your shirt inside of the tent
formed by the civil war rifles.
[You should be able to get your hand past the big logs where you left big gaps
for air.]
- Finally, light those dry shavings with the
match. If all goes according to Hoyle the shavings will dry and ignite the
smaller wet twigs, the twigs ignite the sticks which in turn will ignite the .
. . etc.
- This chain reaction should be unstoppable
in even a heavy rain.
You may have to protect the fire from rain at the beginning. The big logs
shield the inside from most of it.
Department of Emergency Services
1190 W Macclenny Ave
Macclenny, FL 32063
(904) 259-6111
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