Now one of the greatest feelings when you go camping
is sitting around the campfire on a cold night
just watching the flames
and having a yarn to your mates and family
In this video we'll cover what hazards to think about when lighting a fire
how to build a fire, and how to extinguish one.
There are a few very real risks that needed to be managed to avoid a
serious burn or wildfire
The first thing to consider when wanting to build a fire is "am I allowed to have one?"
There could be a temporary or permanent fire ban in the area
So always make sure you are permitted to light a fire before striking a match
You don't want to light a fire in high winds,
embers can easily fly off onto dry grass and start a forest fire
Always use an existing fire pit if there is one available
this reduces your impact on the environment
If there isn't an established one, then make a Leave No Trace fire by building a mound fire
Remember, making a fire is a massive responsibility
so take it seriously
Even if you plan to cook over a fire, it's still a good idea to carry a stove
just in case the site, or conditions, are not suitable for a fire.
Your site needs to be flat, with a clear area of a metre around it
Clear away any dead dry sticks, or dead foliage that could catch alight
leaving living plants alone
they have feelings too
Now, lets build a fire!
A fire needs three things to be successful:
Fuel, Oxygen and Heat
We have three sizes of wood (or fuel) to get started
Tinder, Kindling and Firewood
Getting wood will usually require you to take a short walk out of the campsite,
so make sure others know where you're going
and take a whistle and headtorch with you
in case you end up getting lost
You'd be surprised by how many people actually get lost when searching for firewood
If it's wet, look to pull out lots of tinder inside fallen logs
Tinder is what you use to start the fire
This can include thin tree bark, dry leaves or small twigs
You can also use paper to help you get started
Kindling is small sticks around 2cm in diameter
(about the thickness of your finger)
Firewood is the bigger pieces of wood you'll need to fuel your fire
This doesn't need to be any bigger than the width of your wrist
We want to start off with a dry base
then add your tinder and shape it like a cone
Place the kindling around the tinder in a teepee shape,
and have some more nearby to add once it is alight
When building your fire, leave plenty of space between each piece of wood
Fire needs oxygen to thrive
and it won't be able to receive any if you smother it
With this in mind,
place down a couple of pieces of firewood in the same teepee fashion
Let's add some heat to get this fire going!
Use a match or lighter to ignite the tinder,
and wait for it to catch alight
If you need to, you can blow on it gently to provide more oxygen to help the flames ignite faster
or, gently fan it with a chopping board or notebook.
Watch as the tinder ignites the kindling, and the kindling ignites the firewood
Well, now we have outselves a roaring fire
so keep on adding wood to keep it alive.
Plan ahead and stop adding wood to the fire so that it can
burn down to embers before bedtime
A small, friendly fire is better than a bonfire
because it brings people together, and it's better for the forest
Store additional firewood at least 3 metres away from the fire
and never leave the fire unattended
You can extinguish your fire by pouring water on it,
turning the ashes over and repeating until it's cool to touch
Buried ashes can keep going for days underground, especially in sand,
so make sure they are completely extinguished before you break camp the next day