Why fire still matters
Fire means warmth, boiled water, cooked food, light, signaling — and a huge boost to morale. Practice in good weather so you can do it when you're cold, tired and it's raining.
Burn bans and safety
Check fire danger and burn restrictions before any outdoor fire, especially July–September. Build fires in a pit or ring, clear 10 feet around it, keep water and a shovel nearby, and never leave a fire unattended.
The fire triangle
Every fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen. Remove any one and it dies. Most failed fires don't have enough small fuel, or they're smothered by too much wood too soon.
Gather three sizes of fuel — before you strike a match
- Tinder — catches a spark or flame instantly: dry grass, birch bark, cattail fluff, pine needles, wood shavings, dryer lint, cotton balls with petroleum jelly, commercial tinder tabs. Pitch wood (fatwood) from old pine stumps lights even when wet.
- Kindling — pencil-lead to thumb-thick dry sticks. Gather twice as much as you think. Dead branches still on trees (not on the ground) are driest.
- Fuel wood — wrist-thick and up, added once the kindling is burning well.
Wet weather tips: split wood to reach dry insides, shave sticks into curly "feather sticks," and look under logs and dense evergreens for dry material.
Ways to light it
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Lighter (butane) | easiest, many lights | fails when cold or wet — keep it in an inside pocket |
| Matches (stormproof/waterproof) | reliable | limited number; keep in a waterproof case |
| Ferro rod | thousands of strikes, works wet | needs good tinder and practice |
| Magnifying lens | no fuel | needs bright sun |
Carry at least two — "two is one, and one is none."
Using a ferro rod
- Make a bird's nest of fine tinder (or use a cotton ball with petroleum jelly).
- Hold the striker still near the tinder and pull the rod back toward you (instead of pushing the striker forward). This keeps you from scattering the tinder.
- Use firm, slow pressure. Big, hot sparks land in the tinder.
- Once it catches, gently blow at the base and add the smallest kindling.
Fire lays
- Teepee: tinder in the middle, kindling leaned in around it. Lights fast; great for boiling water.
- Log cabin: layers of sticks stacked crosswise around a teepee. Burns steady; makes a good bed of coals for cooking.
- Lean-to: kindling leaned against a larger log over the tinder. Good in wind — put the log on the windward side.
- Top-down: big wood on the bottom, smaller on top, tinder on the very top. Burns long and clean — great for wood stoves.
Putting it out
Drown, stir, feel. Pour water on it, stir the ashes, add more water, and feel with the back of your hand. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave. No water? Mix in dirt or sand and stir — but water is far better.
Free offline reference: the Army's ATP 3-50.21 Survival has a full chapter on fire craft.
Sources: ATP 3-50.21 Survival · Smokey Bear — Campfire safety