Fires & Firemaking

Fire is essential to survival. It provides warmth, protection and a means of signalling; it boils water, cooks and preserves food; it heats metal to make tools and bake pots. You must learn to light a fire anywhere under any conditions. It is not enough to know all the methods - you have to be expert at them.

PREPARATION
Ensure adequate ventilation for your fire. The more oxygen introduced, the brighter the fire; by reducing ventilation the fire burns less fiercely, needing less fuel. Collect sufficient supplies of tinder, kindling and fuel. Prepare a fireplace so you can control the fire.
The fireplace
Choose a sheltered site. Except for signal purposes, do not light a fire at the base of a tree. Clear away leaves, twigs, moss and dry grass from a circle 2 m (6 ft) across until you have a bare earth surface.
If the ground is wet or snow covered, build a platform from a layer of green logs covered with a layer of earth, or a layer of stones.

TEMPLE FIRE: A raised platform of green timber. Four uprights support crosspieces in.their forks. Place a layer of green logs across them and cover this with several inches of earth. Light the fire on top of this. A pole across upper forks on diagonally opposite uprights can support cooking pots.
In windy conditions dig a trench and light your fire in it.
Alternatively, encircle your fire with rocks to retain heat and save fuel. They serve as heated potstands and can be used as bed warmers.

Tinder
Tinder is any material that takes only a spark to ignite. Birch bark, dried grasses, wood shavings, bird down, waxed paper, cotton fluff, fir cones, pine needles, powdered dried fungi, scorched or charred cotton are excellent tinder, as is the fine dust produced by woodburrowing insects and the inside of. birds' nests.

Kindling
Kindling is the wood used to raise flames from tinder. Small dry twigs, resinous and softer woods are best.
Make fire sticks
Shave sticks with shallow cuts to feather' them. This will make the wood catch light more quickly.

Fuel
Use dry wood to get a fire going. Once established, mix green and dried-out damp wood.
Hard woods such as hickory, beech and oak, burn well, are long lasting, and give off great heat. Soft woods burn fast and give off sparks: the worst culprits are alder, spruce, pine, chestnut and willow.

Dry wood across two supports high enough above afire that they won't he set alight. Lay green logs beside fire tapering away from the wind, so they shelter the fire while they dry.
A basic woodshed is vital in wet weather. Position where fire will warm it, but clear of stray sparks.

Save energy: don't chop logs, break them over a rock (a).
Or feed them over the fire, letting them burn through in the middle (b).
Split logs without an axe by placing a knife on the end of a log and hitting it with a rock (c).

Once begun, split can be widened with wooden wedge plugged in gap and driven downward. Don't do this if you have only one knife - it could get damaged.

OTHER FUELS

Animal droppings:
dry well, mix with grass and leaves.
Peat:
found on moors. Soft and springy underfoot, it looks black and fibrous. Dry it before burning. Needs ventilation when burning.
Coal:
sometimes found on surface in northern tundra
Shales:
rich in oil, burn readily. Some sands also contain oil and burn with a thick smoke - good signal
Combustibles: petroleum, hydraulic fluid, engine oil: insect repellent. Soaked in oil, tyres, upholstery and rubber seals are inflammable.
Animal fats: use a tin for a stove and burn with
a wick


BURNING OIL AND WATER: Pierce a small hole in base of a tin can for each liquid and fit tapered sticks to govern the flow (a). The oil and water run down a trough to a metal ,plate. To increase flow, pull out stick; push in to reduce. Try 2-3 drops water: 1 drop oil.
First light a small fire under plate to get it hot. Light the mixture itself on, top of the plate. It is highly volatile and will burn almost anything.

 

BURNING OILS:
Mix petrol with sand and burn in ventilated tin, or dig fire pit. Burn oil by mixing in petrol or antifreeze. Do not set a light directly to any liquid fuels: make a wick for fame.

FIRELIGHTING:
Form a tepee of, kindling round tinder bed. If windy, lean kindling against a log on the leeside. Ignite tinder. Add larger sticks once kindling has caught. Or light a bundle of dry match-thin twigs and place in tepee.

SUNLIGHT THROUGH A LENS:
can ignite tinder. Use your survival kit magnifying glass, telescope or camera lens. Focus sun's rays to form a tiny, bright spot of light. Keep it steady and shield from wind. Blow it gently as it glows.

POWDER FROM AMMUNITION:
Break open a round and pour gunpowder on tinder (a) and use flint. Or leave half the powder in cartridge case and stuff piece of cloth in (b). Chamber the round and fire into the ground. The smouldering cloth will be ejected. Place on tinder to ignite.

FLINT:
A stone found in many parts of the world. Strike with steel and hot sparks fly off (a). Or use saw-edged blade from survival kit (b) for more sparks.