Start + maintain fire via friction, spark, solar. Site select, material grade (tinder/kindling/fuel), lay (teepee, log cabin, platform), ignite (ferro rod, flint+steel, bow drill), nurture, LNT extinguish. Use → warmth, light, signal; boil water; cook; emergency survival.
Start + maintain fire in wilderness w/ natural + carried materials.
purify-water)forage-plants)Safe, functional, low impact.
Site Selection Criteria:
┌─────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Factor │ Requirement │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Wind │ Sheltered or with a windbreak │
│ Ground │ Mineral soil, rock, or sand │
│ Overhead clearance │ No branches within 3 m / 10 ft │
│ Distance from water │ At least 5 m / 15 ft from streams │
│ Distance from camp │ Close enough for use, far enough │
│ │ to avoid spark hazards to gear │
│ Drainage │ Slight slope or flat; avoid hollows│
│ │ where rain pools │
└─────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
Clear 1 m / 3 ft circle → mineral soil. Snow/wet → platform of green logs or flat stones.
→ Cleared, level site, no debris in circle, clear overhead, wind-shielded.
If err: no ground → raised platform, 4-6 green wrist-thick logs side by side. Wind strong → windbreak from logs, rocks, or tarp at 45°.
Three categories, graded by dryness + size.
Material Grading:
┌──────────┬──────────────────┬──────────────┬───────────────────────────┐
│ Category │ Diameter │ Examples │ Quantity needed │
├──────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Tinder │ Hair-thin fibers │ Birch bark, │ Two fist-sized bundles │
│ │ │ dried grass, │ │
│ │ │ cedar bark, │ │
│ │ │ fatwood │ │
│ │ │ shavings, │ │
│ │ │ cattail fluff│ │
├──────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Kindling │ Pencil-thin to │ Dead twigs, │ Two armfuls, sorted by │
│ │ finger-thick │ split sticks │ thickness │
├──────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Fuel │ Wrist-thick to │ Dead standing│ Enough for intended burn │
│ │ arm-thick │ wood, split │ time (1 armload ≈ 1 hr) │
│ │ │ logs │ │
└──────────┴──────────────────┴──────────────┴───────────────────────────┘
Dryness Test:
- Snap test: dry wood snaps cleanly; damp wood bends
- Sound test: dry wood clicks when struck together; damp wood thuds
- Source priority: dead standing > dead leaning > dead on dry ground > dead on wet ground
→ Three sorted piles, arm's reach. Tinder bone-dry + fine. Kindling snaps clean.
If err: all damp → scrape inner bark (cedar, birch, poplar) → fine fibers. Fatwood ignites wet. Last resort → carried starters (cotton+petroleum jelly, wax cardboard).
Choose lay → purpose + conditions.
Fire Lay Decision Table:
┌──────────────┬──────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ Fire Lay │ Best for │ Construction │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Teepee │ Quick start, boiling │ Lean kindling against │
│ │ water, signaling │ a central tinder bundle │
│ │ │ in a cone shape │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Log cabin │ Sustained heat, │ Stack pairs of sticks in │
│ │ cooking, drying │ alternating layers like │
│ │ │ a cabin; tinder in center│
├──────────────┼──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Lean-to │ Windy conditions │ Push a green stick into │
│ │ │ ground at 30°; lean │
│ │ │ kindling against it with │
│ │ │ tinder underneath │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Platform │ Snow/wet ground │ Lay green logs side by │
│ │ │ side as a base; build │
│ │ │ teepee or log cabin on │
│ │ │ top │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Star/Radial │ Long burns with │ Lay 4-5 logs radiating │
│ │ minimal fuel │ from center like spokes; │
│ │ │ push inward as they burn │
└──────────────┴──────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┘
Leave gaps → airflow. Fire needs O2 → pack loose, not tight.
→ Stable structure, tinder accessible, airflow gaps, kindling → flame climbs tinder → kindling → fuel.
If err: collapses → support stick driven in ground as post. Smokes won't flame → open gaps, wind side open at base.
Method → available tools.
Ignition Methods (ranked by reliability):
┌───────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Method │ Technique │
├───────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Lighter/match │ Apply flame directly to tinder for 5-10 sec │
├───────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Ferro rod │ Hold rod against tinder; scrape striker down │
│ │ rod at 45° with firm, fast strokes; direct │
│ │ sparks into center of tinder bundle │
├───────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Flint & steel │ Strike steel against flint edge to cast sparks │
│ │ onto char cloth laid on tinder │
├───────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Bow drill │ Carve fireboard notch; place tinder below; │
│ │ spin spindle with bow using steady, full-length│
│ │ strokes until coal forms in notch │
├───────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Solar (lens) │ Focus sunlight through lens onto dark tinder; │
│ │ hold steady until smoke appears; gently blow │
└───────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
→ Tinder glows (ember) or small flame within 30 sec.
If err: sparks land, tinder won't catch → too damp or coarse. Process finer (scrape, shred, fluff). Ferro rod → add magnesium shavings as accelerant. Bow drill → spindle+fireboard same dry softwood (willow, cedar, poplar), notch reaches center.
Ember → flame carefully.
→ Flames climb tinder → smallest kindling in 1-2 min. Crackling → self-sustaining.
If err: dies at kindling → too thick or damp. Split thinner, use driest. Suffocates → lay too tight, lift material gently. No hard blow → scatters embers.
Progressive size increase.
Fuel Progression:
Tinder → Pencil-thin → Finger-thick → Wrist-thick → Arm-thick
(each stage must be established before adding the next)
→ Stable, self-sustaining fire, consistent heat, refuel every 15-30 min.
If err: dies when adding larger → jumping sizes. Back one size smaller, build bigger coal bed. Hisses/steams → too wet, split → expose dry inner, or prop near (not on) fire to dry.
Extinguishing Protocol:
1. Stop adding fuel 30-60 min before you need the fire out
2. Let wood burn down to ash
3. Spread coals and ash with a stick
4. Douse with water (pour, stir, pour again)
5. Feel with the back of your hand 10 cm / 4 in above the ashes
6. If any warmth is felt, repeat douse-stir-douse
7. When cold to touch, scatter the ash over a wide area
8. Replace any ground cover or duff that was moved
9. "Could someone walk by and not know a fire was here?"
→ Site cold to touch, no visible coals, area undisturbed.
If err: no water → smother w/ mineral soil (not organic duff → smolders). Stir + check repeatedly. Never leave until cold. Coals in deep ash → scrape aside, douse exposed.
purify-water — boil needs sustained fire; boil method depends on thisforage-plants — many plants → tinder (birch, cattail, grass); some need cookingpaper-making — handcraft paper from fibres; shares fibre prep + pulping w/ tinder prepToast — restaurant POS, orders, menus, employees, revenue centers, and reporting.