Fire Building

How long it’ll take:

30 minutes

What the goal is:

Campers should understand common mistakes made in LNT fire building and ways to avoid and correct these mistakes.

What the objectives are:

Campers should be able to identify items they may need to bring on their next outing in order to have a proper LNT fire. Campers should also be able to distinguish and explain proper and improper ingredients, set-up, and breakdown of an LNT fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JSzgBEVhk

What you’ll need:

• A Tarp

• A trowel

• Mineral soil (found in backyard or brought to site)

• Matches/lighter

• 1 full water bottle

• 1 rope (or side walk chalk to draw a safety circle)

What you’ll do:

• Set the scene: imagine you've arrived to a campsite and are preparing to spend the night. It's a little chilly and your group wants to have a small fire to celebrate your first day of adventuring.

• Ask the campers how campfires impact the surrounding area. Make sure that people bring up the actual fire site as well as the gathering of downed wood & kindling to burn.

• Ask the campers how we can minimize the impact that campfires have. Make sure that the campers understand that the best way to minimize the a campfire’s impact is to simply not have a campfire. If a fire ring exists, should we use it or create another? (Use the existing ring). If multiple fire rings exist, which one should we use? (Use the one that looks like it’s already had the largest impact; then, do our best to dismantle the other fire rings). If no fire ring exists, how can we minimize the impact to the ground? (Build a mound fire; this protects the soil from damage due to heat).

• Safety precautions:

  • Make sure you have full water bottles within arm’s reach at all times.

  • Establish a “ring of fire” in which no one enters unless you allow them. To define a border: lay out a rope, draw a circle in the dirt with a stick, or use chalk on the ground surrounding your fire area.

  • Be very firm with the campers and make it clear that building a fire requires everyone in the group to act safely and responsibly. No horsing around will be tolerated. If there are any behavior issues, campers will not be allowed to participate in the activity.

• Have each camper alternate teaching each step (Instructor will teach step 4). Then give the group time to do that step. The steps include:

  • Know before you go: check local regulations and ensure that fires are allowed at your location. Check for local fire bans as well.

  • Pick a site for your fire: Choose a site away from high winds and free of flammable material. Avoid low-hanging branches, tents, and dry grass.

    1. Go on a walk around the nearby area and pick out the best site for your fire. Take all the appropriate considerations into account.

  • Gather wood: It should be dead, down, dry, dinky (the size of your pinky), dispersed (do not simply gather all the small pieces of wood in one area) and distant (you should have to walk a ways to find it).

    1. Do this as a group. Encourage each person to gather 5 pieces of wood, making sure they follow the guidelines.

       • • For areas in which Poison Oak or Poison Ivy is prevalent, have campers point to firewood, or lead campers away from the P.O. area in order to collect wood.

  • Set up your fire area: Place a tarp or trash bag down on the ground to protect the area from a fire. Find and gather mineral soil. This is soil that contains no organic matter. This can be found at the base of a downed tree or on a sandy riverbank. Make a mound on the tarp that is 3-5 inches tall and 1-2 feet in diameter. The thickness of the mound is essential as it insulates the ground from the heat of the fire. Depress the middle slightly.

    1. Dig some mineral soil using the trowel from an appropriate area. If there is no natural area from which you can take mineral soil, use soil from a gardening store.

  • Start your fire*: Begin with toothpick-thick pieces of wood and slowly add larger pieces. Make sure your fire stays 6 inches or more away from the edge of your mound at all times. Make sure to burn all the wood until it is white ash or small pieces of charcoal.

    2. • The Instructor is the only one lighting the fire. Campers can watch and add the larger pieces of tinder. Make sure instructor keeps a watchful eye on each small group.

  • Clean up: Drench the mound with water until it is cool enough for you to place your hand in. Verify the fire is totally extinguished by placing your hand all around and throughout the mound and ashes. Once it is cool, scatter the ashes over a wide area. Return the mineral soil to its place or origin.

    1. Do this as a group. Assign various campers specific steps.

• While the fire burns, this is a great time to brainstorm with the campers answers to the following questions: Do you always need a fire while camping? What alternatives are there to building a fire? (Use battery-powered lanterns or headlamps for light, cook on a camp stove, etc.). What are the negative effects of fire? What are the pros and cons of building a fire? In what situations could you build a fire and not follow the principles that we laid out? (Survival situations only).

*If there is no space/you are not permitted for this activity, do all the steps minus lighting the fire. Be sure to check in with parents of campers before doing this activity.