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Outdoors · O01-01 · Fire

Fire

Lighting, tending and safety — when you may light a fire, how to start one in wind and rain, and how to put it out completely

25 pages · 12 chapters · 6 worksheets · A4

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Levels this guide covers

72 hours2 weeks3 months1 year+

In short

  • First check whether you may. In fire season, in national parks and protected areas, fires are often banned, and the fines are high.
  • The spot before the match: bare ground or an existing fire ring, away from tents, trees and dry grass, with water and a small shovel at hand.
  • A small fire is a better fire — easier to control, uses less wood and is easier to put out.
  • Never unattended, never with gasoline or other fuel, never in a tent, car or enclosed space (carbon monoxide).
  • Put it out until it is cool to the touch: drown, stir, feel — and repeat.

What's inside

  1. 01When You May Light a Fire
  2. 02Choosing the Spot
  3. 03Tinder, Kindling and Firewood
  4. 04How to Build a Fire
  5. 05Lighting in Wind and Rain
  6. 06A Small Fire: Cooking, Warmth, Drying
  7. 07Signal Fire
  8. 08Fire in Winter and on Snow
  9. 09What Never to Do — and When a Fire Gets Away
  10. 10Putting It Out Completely, Leaving No Trace
  11. 11The Most Common Mistakes
  12. 12Printable Checklist

Worksheets (appendices)

  1. AA Fire Is Getting Away — What First?
  2. BCheck Before Lighting
  3. CFire Plan and Log
  4. DEquipment by Priority
  5. ELocal Information Card
  6. FWorked Example — a Weekend by the Fire

Sources are listed on the last page of every guide.

A look inside

The guide's table of contents pageA Fire Is Getting Away — What First?

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