Fire, Knife & Axe Guide 01

Campfires and Fire Building

Fire Skills

A campfire can provide warmth, light, a place to cook, and a memorable gathering point. It can also become dangerous very quickly. A responsible Scout learns not only how to build a fire, but when not to build one, how to keep it under control, and how to leave the area safe when the fire is over.

Safety first:

Never build a fire just because you know how. Follow current fire restrictions, land-manager rules, Scouting America requirements, and the direction of your adult leaders. If fires are restricted or conditions are unsafe, use another option such as a camp stove for cooking and extra layers for warmth.

What a Fire Needs

Fire depends on three basic ingredients: heat, fuel, and oxygen. These are often shown as the fire triangle. A continuing chemical chain reaction is sometimes added as a fourth part, creating the fire tetrahedron. Remove any one of these parts and the fire will go out.

Heat starts the fuel burning. A match, lighter, spark, or another approved fire starter can provide the first heat.
Fuel is the material that burns, such as dry tinder, kindling, and firewood.
Oxygen comes from the air. A fire needs space between pieces of fuel so air can move through it.
The chain reaction keeps combustion going after the fire has started.

Before You Build a Fire

Check whether fires are allowed. Rules can change by location, season, weather, and daily fire-danger level.
Use an established fire ring, grill, or other designated fire site whenever one is available and permitted.
Look around and above the fire area. Keep the fire away from dry grass, roots, branches, tents, gear, and other things that can burn.
Have water and the tools needed to control and extinguish the fire before lighting anything.
Gather and prepare your fuel before starting. Do not light a fire and then leave it while you search for wood.
Assign someone to watch the fire. A burning or smoldering fire is never left unattended.

Choosing Fuel

A fire is easiest to manage when fuel is prepared in several sizes. Start small and increase the size only after the smaller fuel is burning well.

Tinder

Tinder catches a flame or spark easily and burns long enough to ignite small kindling. Examples can include dry grass, dry pine needles where gathering is allowed, fine wood shavings, or a prepared fire starter approved by your leaders and the land manager. Keep tinder dry until you are ready to use it.

Kindling

Kindling is made of small, dry sticks. Start with pieces about pencil thickness and then add pieces closer to finger thickness. Adding large wood too soon can cool or smother a young flame.

Fuelwood

Fuelwood is larger wood added after the fire is established. Keep a recreational campfire small and use only the amount of wood you need. Follow local rules for gathering wood; many places require purchased firewood or prohibit collecting it.

Leave No Trace:

Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings when possible, keep fires small, and follow local rules for firewood. Avoid damaging live trees or cutting standing trees unless the land manager has specifically authorized it.

Common Fire Lays

A fire lay is the way tinder, kindling, and fuel are arranged. The exact shape matters less than good preparation, dry fuel, and enough airflow, but these common layouts are useful to know.

Teepee Lay

Place tinder in the center and lean small kindling around it in a cone, leaving an opening for lighting and air. Add slightly larger pieces as the flame grows. A teepee lay lights quickly and sends heat upward, but it may need to be rebuilt as the sticks burn and fall inward.

Log Cabin Lay

Place the tinder and small kindling in the center. Build a square around it by laying two pieces parallel, then two more across them. Continue with smaller or appropriately sized pieces while leaving air gaps. This layout can create a stable bed of coals for cooking.

Lean-To Lay

Place a support stick at an angle over the tinder, then lean small kindling against the support so the flame can climb into it. This layout can help shelter the first flame and can direct heat, but the support will eventually burn through and collapse.

Starting the Fire

Use only fire-starting methods that are permitted for your age, activity, location, and unit. Prepare the fire lay first so you do not have to handle extra fuel while trying to control a flame.

Matches are simple and reliable when kept dry. Store them in a moisture-resistant container and carry the correct striker for safety matches.
Lighters are convenient, but they can run out of fuel or perform poorly in cold or windy conditions.
Ferrocerium rods and other spark-producing tools can be useful backups but require practice and suitable tinder.
Traditional friction methods are valuable skills to learn with qualified instruction, but they are slower and more difficult than modern fire starters.

Avoid improvised ignition tricks:

Do not experiment with batteries, steel wool, flammable liquids, aerosol products, or other improvised fire-starting methods at camp. Use approved fire-starting equipment and follow leader and land-manager rules.

Managing the Fire

Keep the fire small enough to control.
Add fuel gradually. Do not pile on more wood than you need.
Keep loose clothing, hair, sleeping gear, and combustible equipment away from the fire.
Do not burn trash, plastics, batteries, pressurized containers, or unknown materials.
Never play with fire, wave burning sticks, or remove burning wood from the fire ring.
Watch the wind. If conditions become unsafe, extinguish the fire early.

Putting a Campfire Completely Out

A fire is not out just because there are no visible flames. Hot coals can stay dangerous for hours and can flare up again when the wind changes.

Allow the fire to burn down as much as practical.
Spread the coals within the fire ring so hidden hot spots are easier to reach.
Pour water over the coals and burned material.
Stir the wet coals and ashes so water reaches all sides.
Add more water and stir again.
Use the cold-out test only when it is safe to do so: the fire area should be completely cool before you leave. Follow your leader’s instructions for checking it.

Do not rely on dirt alone:

Dirt or sand can insulate hot coals instead of cooling them. Water is the preferred extinguishing method where it is available and allowed.

Firem’n Chit

For Scouts BSA members, the Firem’n Chit is the certification connected with carrying fire-lighting devices and building campfires during Scouting activities. A Scout demonstrates an understanding of fire safety, permits and local rules, minimizing campfire impacts, attending the fire, keeping water and/or a shovel ready, reporting wildfires, using the cold-out test, and following the Outdoor Code, Guide to Safe Scouting, Leave No Trace, and Tread Lightly! principles.

A Firem’n Chit is a responsibility, not simply a card or patch. Leaders can remove a Scout’s fire-building privileges when those responsibilities are not followed.

Remember

Know the rules before lighting a fire.
Prepare fuel, water, and the fire site before striking a match.
Keep the fire small, supervised, and under control.
Leave no burning or smoldering material behind.
When in doubt, do not build a fire.