Choosing the right site for a fire
When choosing where to make a fire, there are a number of factors to consider. The soil type is very important as some types of soil can be flammable. Lots of leaf litter can cause a peaty soil which can cause an underground fire underneath your fire site. A light, fluffy, woody soil can also catch light. Clay, stoney or brown muddy soil are not flammable. However, rocks and slate can explode under high heats. The wind direction should also be considered when planning where the fire should be and where the children and staff should be. Anybody near the fire needs to be situated with their back to the wind which will stop the flames blowing towards them.
When the fire area has been decided upon, an area should be cleared down to bare soil. A boundary should be made around the area, at least 10 feet around the fire. This can be made with logs or stones which the children can sit on. The children can be set to work finding kindling while this is set up.
Lighting the fire
This is the fire triangle. It shows that to light a fire you need equal amounts of heat, fuel, and oxygen. Without all three elements, your fire will not light. If an element is removed, the fire will go out. Heat can be provided by a spark, flame or friction. Once the fire is lit it will create its own heat. Fuel is provided by materials such as wood, coal or charcoal. Oxygen comes naturally from the air but more can be added by blowing into the base of the fire.
To create the fire triangle we need:
Tinder
This is easily flammable material that will light the fire. It needs to be smaller than the thickness of a finger and very dry. Tinder can either be naturally found or man-made. Most very dry natural materials can be used as tinder. Examples include dried leaves, birch bark or standing dry wood. Standing dry wood is dead branches and twigs that can be found caught up in branches. As these haven’t reached the ground they have been air-dried and can’t absorb moisture from the soil. To check if the wood is suitable, bend it and see if it snaps. If it bends or breaks with a dull noise it is not suitable. Man-made tinders include char cloth, lint, cotton wool, and paper.
Punk can be good tinder. This is rotting deadwood which has a spongy texture and it needs to be very dry. King Alfred’s Cake is a fungus which can also be used. Again this needs to be dry.
Kindling
Kindling can consist of larger sticks than the tinder. Anything above pencil thickness that is easily snapped by hand can be used as kindling.
Fuel
Fuel consists of larger sticks and logs which are dry. Once the fire is lit, it needs to be fed fuel to keep it burning. This needs to be added carefully so that it doesn’t smother the fire and cause a lack of oxygen.
What if resources aren’t available?
Most Forest School leaders have a little kit of dry tinder and kindling with them in case there is none to be found on site.
Fire Lighting Equipment
Once we have got all of our tinder, kindling, and fuel ready and there is oxygen available, we complete the fire triangle by adding heat with a spark. There are a number of different ways of doing this.
Quick Methods
In case of an emergency, matches or lighters can be used to start the fire. These are good methods if it is extremely cold and we need to start a fire quickly. However, they are not challenging for children to use and can become damp in wet weather.
Magnesium Blocks or Strikers
Fire strikers are fun and easy for children of all ages to use. The rod is struck in a downward motion with the steel which creates a spark. These are relatively safe as they will not start a fire unless the spark hits fuel. They can also be used in damp or wet weather conditions.
Natural Resource Methods
Rubbing two sticks together creates friction which creates heat. This friction can also be created with a bow drill where a bow is used to rotate some wood onto a wooden base. It can also be done by hand rather than using a bow. This requires a lot of patience but is very rewarding when it works. Another way to create heat is by using a magnifying glass to magnify the sun’s light onto the tinder. This is more effective if a char cloth is used and is a good way to add some physics to your Forest School session.
Char Cloth
Char cloth is created by placing a piece of fabric in a tin with a small hole in it. This tin is heated slowly on the fire, burning the fabric very slowly. It lights very easily when sparked.
Fire Lays
Tipi
The tipi fire lay is an easy one to create but can require a lot of kindling. Your tinder is placed in the middle of the fire area (on top of a dry piece of bark if the ground is wet) and kindling is put around, leaning it into a tipi shape. The tinder is then lit and as the fire burns, the kindling falls in and feeds it. A tipi fire can be built bigger with larger pieces of fuel being added to the outside to make it burn for longer.
Waffle
A waffle fire lay is effective as it raises the fire off the floor, keeping it from any moisture. The gaps between the wood also allow plenty of oxygen into the fire. However, it does use a lot of wood. It is created by laying two twigs (kindling) on the floor and then placing more across the top to create a waffle shape. The waffle can be built at the bottom of a tipi fire if the ground is wet. Tinder is placed on top of the kindling and lit to create the fire.
Lean to
For this fire, you need a large log which is placed upwind of where you want the fire to be. This log creates a wall to protect the fire from the elements. Tinder is placed leaning against the log and then kindling is propped against the tinder. When the tinder has been lit, you may need to blow into the fire to add oxygen as the log can prevent oxygen flow.
Management Procedures of the Campfire
How to extinguish a campfire
To extinguish a fire, you need to remove an element of the fire triangle.
- Fuel – if there is not much fuel left, the fire can be left to burn it off. Alternatively, the fuel can be spread out across the pit to dissipate the heat or removed completely.
- Heat – pour water around the fire to take away some of the heat. Do not pour it straight onto the fire as the embers could spit or explode.
- Oxygen – once the embers have stopped glowing, smother the fire with soil or sand to stop oxygen from getting to the embers. It is important not to just cover the fire and leave it as it can continue to burn underneath.
How to leave a permanent fire site
Check the temperature around the pit and dig into the earth to check there. Once all of the heat has gone and the embers are extinguished, it is safe to leave the site.
Temporary fire
Once the fire is fully extinguished, cover it with soil or sand and leaf litter to remove evidence of it ever being there.
A Forest School Journey 