Make a Fire

Emergency campfire

Starting a fire during an emergency can save your life. The inability to build a fire can cost your life.

While most experts agree that the ability to make fire is an essential survival skill, it is only one part of the whole survival equation.

Never plan to build a campfire to make up for inadequate clothing or shelter.

But when you’re lost, a cheery, crackling campfire can provide light, be a morale booster, and a source of  heat for warding off hypothermia, cooking and  purifying water.

The smoke from the fire can signal you need help. And gathering fuel to feed the flames may keep you in one place long enough to be found!

Here’s what it takes to make a survival fire:

IGNITION: This is of course one of the most important aspects of making fire.  I teach courses on primitive flint and steel fire making, as well as making fire under emergency circumstances with a ferro stick and cotton ball. BUT, you must have mastered these skills before an emergency arises. Don’t buy some equipment that you haven’t tested and expect it to serve you under stress and extreme weather. Practice, and practice some more. That’s preparedness.

You should carry a minimum of three different types of fire making devices. These could include

• a butane lighter
• waterproof matches in waterproof container
• a ferro stick with cotton balls and petroleum jelly which works every time   (you must know how to use this skill by perfecting it before you try to use it in extreme weather)
• emergency flares to use in extreme inclement weather to torch the wood (deep snow, blinding rain)

Circumstances that might disable one method of ignition shouldn’t stop you from making a flame.  Always have a backup ignition option.

DRY FUEL AND TINDER:  Know where to find dry wood under any circumstances, but always carry some sort of fire starter along. Fire starter is defined as a substance that can ignite with a spark or small flame. This can include all cotton twine, or small cotton strips. I like cotton balls with petroleum jelly. Petroleum based chap stick will also work with cotton. Always carry a knife, in some cases a portable saw, or small hatchet for hacking away at the dry underbelly of a wet log or tree. Even in the rain, you can find dry wood by looking under the tree canopy and using your knife to whittle out small shavings.

CONSTRUCTION: The size, dryness and how you arrange the fuel will determine if the fire grows or dies.  Learn the log house method, the tepee version, or the yurt design for starting a roaring fire in under three minutes. Whatever pattern you decide on, practice it first! Be sure to stack all your wood beside your fire spot before you begin. Then construct the beginning layers of the fire to ensure you have plenty of air and height for the fire to climb and take hold. All fires need ignition, fuel, and air.

After construction, light your prepared fire starter, adding your small shavings and tinder, followed by the little sticks, growing in size as the fire grows with you. Then, sit back and relax. You can congratulate yourself on creating one of the most fundamental survival techniques – making fire.

Check out these fire starting equipment options:

“Surviving a Wilderness Emergency”, by Peter Kummerfeldt

Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker SD Combo Knife

Magnesium Firestarter

Aurora Firestarter

Swedish Firesteel

Stormproof matches