FIRE LIGHTING

Prepare the Ground The first thing you will need to do is to prepare a safe site for your fire. Clean the fire site down to the bare soil; remove all of the burnable material for a radius of (4) four yards (or (4) four meters) around it

Fire safety Keep a pot of water, or bucket of sand/soil close to the fire for emergency

Ground maintenance If the site for the fire is grassy, use your camp shovel to cut around and under a 1-yard (or 1 meter) wide square of sod/turf. Lift out the loosened sod/turf, lay it right side up and sprinkle it with water. The grass should stay fresh until you replace it after you have broken camp

Use of rocks / wood Do not build a circle of rocks around your fire. If you must enclose it, use logs

Gather the fuel To start a fire you will require 3 sizes of wood: 1. Tinder, 2. Kindling, and 3. Fuel wood. Gather enough of all three before you light your fire! Tinder catches fire easily and burns fast. Wood shavings, fuzz sticks, shredded bark, dry pine needles, and dry grasses all make good tinder. Gather enough to fill your hat at least once A little secret to help you with lighting your fire each morning for first cup of tea and your breakfast – Collect enough tinder the night before

keeping the fire in When bedding the fire down for the night, a neat trick for quick light in morning is to place (2) two medium sized logs of Ash onto fire and cover with earth. You can guarantee a good set of embers for the morning start up Kindling is a dry, dead twig no thicker than a pencil. You will need to find enough to fill your hat at least twice, do not put wood into plastic bags condensation may form and wet the kindling Again to help you with lighting your fire in the morning, collect enough kindling ‘small wood’ and again place in your tent over night; Again, do not put wood into plastic bags condensation may form and wet the kindling The fuel can be as thin as your finger or as thick as your arm. Use dead, dry, sticks you find on the ground. Do not use green, live wood, as it is poor fuel and is full of moisture Again to help you with lighting your fire in the morning, collect enough fire wood place in under cover; again do not put wood into plastic bags Try using one match and if you have followed the instructions you will have a roaring fire in no time at all