Transcript Fire Safety

Fire and Fire Safety
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Fires can be very useful in the
outdoors if they are used right.
When making a fire, the most
important thing to think about is
SAFETY!
Preventing Fires
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While cooking outdoors with fire, you must
control the fire in a safe environment.
You can control your fire by making sure your
are at least ten feet away from near by
branches, houses, or easily flammable objects.
With outdoor fires, use a fire ring. This is a
ring made of stones to keep the fire in a
contained area.
Wind
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In the outdoors heavy
wind is dangerous to
uncontrolled fires.
The wind can easily
spread the fire and it can
all start with a simple
spark.
The smaller the fire the
easier it will be to
contain due to wind.
Preparation
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To create a fire you must have at least 3 things: Fuel,
Heat, Oxygen.
You need to first choose a nice safe spot for your fire.
You must always be prepared for the worst when
using fire.
Many people have plans and protection against indoor
fires such as: escape routes, fire extinguishers, fire
alarms, etc. You must also be prepared when you are
outdoors because fire can spread fast and easy.
Keep a bucket of water near by and remove all
flammable objects away from the fire pit.
Selecting your location
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When determining where to set up your camp site,
always keep fire safety in mind.
Select a location with very little brush, and make sure
there is a flat surface surrounded by rocks for your
fire. Rocks will stop the fire from spreading if the
ground happens to catch fire.
Also make sure your location is not too dry. Forest
fires are more likely to start in a really dry
atmosphere.
Materials
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To make a successful fire, you will need tinder
and kindling.
Tinder- Very small and fine material that will
ignite easily. Materials that are dead, dry, and
natural are ideal. Ex: small twigs, dry leaves,
tree bark, pine cones, moss.
Kindling- This is your bigger pieces of wood,
such as logs, which makes the base of the fire.
This will keep your fire burning bright.
Construction
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There are many different ways to lay a fire, depending on what
type of fire you are building but a standard procedure would be…
First check to see if the ground is wet, if it is too wet to get your
fire started then lay a foundation of large logs to start your fire
on.
Lay a foundation of tinder at the bottom of your fire pit.
Next start laying down your kindling around the tinder.
Depending on the fire you are making, there is a certain order of
size that you should place your wood. For a tee-pee fire start with
your smaller twigs first and work your way up to your bigger
logs. For a log-cabin fire, you should start with your big pieces at
the bottom to create a solid base. Work your way up placing one
stick at a time in decreasing size until you are done.
Types of Wood
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Old dried wood such as evergreens and needle
based trees are ideal
Pine, Spruce, and Cedar will ignite very
quickly but will also burn at a much faster rate.
hardwoods such as oak, ash, and maple will
burn for a longer period of time but are more
difficult to light.
Aspen, Birch, and Poplar make a produce a lot
of heat but burn fairly quick.
Types of Fires…
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Types of Fires Continued
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Teepee Fire: This is probably the most common and
basic fire design. It’s a great fire to make quickly for
warmth or for boiling water. It is often used as a starter
for a fire which bigger and longer-lasting fires are
founded.
Pyramid/Platform fire (log cabin)- These fires are ideal
for cooking. Because of the way it is built, the smoke
exits out the side of the fire so your food doesn’t taste
as smoky.
Types of Fire continued again.
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Parallel Fire: A fire that is built between two long
logs. If the logs are the same size, a nice flat spot is
formed on top for cooking in pots or pans. This kind
of fire is built almost exclusively for cooking.
Star or Indian Fire: Often dipicted as the campfire of
the Old West. This fire consists of five or six logs laid
out like the spokes of a wheel. You light the fire at the
“hub” (the middle) and each log must be pushed
towards the centre as the ends are burned. This fire
can be burned for a long time with little maintenance.
…And Again.
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Reflector Fire: Any fire that has some sort of
flat surface behind it to direct the heat back out
past the fire. The reflector can be made out of
a few large slabs of bark laid on several large
logs. Rocks can also be used but be careful!…
Exploding rocks can send sharp pieces flying
in every direction.