Video Preview - Disc One

PREPARED TO SURVIVE

Flash Player 8 is required to view these videos. A high-speed connection is recommended.

FIRE
Building a fire does many things. It can provide warmth, keep you dry, provide light, cook food, purify water and it can be used as a signal. Another advantage to successfully building a fire is the confidence it can bring.

Since fire is almost always needed in a survival situation, practicing firebuilding skills and taking more than one means of starting a fire are crucial. The worst time to learn how to properly start and maintain a fire is when you need one in a survival situation. Practice building a fire in normal and poor weather conditions with the firemaking tools in your survival kit.

Where and how you build a fire is dependent upon the environment you are in, the tools and materials available, how quickly you need the fire and its intended purpose. In a wooded area, you should clear a 3 foot circle from brush and any burnable material to keep the fire from spreading. If you create a ring of stones around your fire, it will help to retain heat and will allow your fuel to burn longer. Use dry non-porous stones like granite. Wet, porous stones may explode when heated.

To successfully start and maintain a fire, you will need 3 types of burning material: tinder, kindling and fuel. Tinder is any dry material that will easily ignite with a little heat or a spark. Shredded bark, dead leaves, wood shavings, dead moss, dead evergreen needles and cotton are examples of tinder. The key to tinder is that it must be dry and it must be airy enough to allow oxygen to flow through it. Tinder can also be brought with you. You can make your own using cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly or you can purchase tinder in our store. Some manufactured tinder can be easily lit even when it’s soaking wet. If there is no other dry tinder around you can use any paper product or non-essential clothing that has been shredded as tinder. Kindling is dry material that can be caught on fire when added on top of tinder. Small pieces of wood such as twigs and thin branches, wood shavings and cardboard are examples of kindling. If the only kindling available is damp then you can shave the outer layers until you reach dry wood. Feathering twigs and branches by creating shallow cuts can help them catch on fire faster. Fuel is material that can burn when added on top of kindling. Fuel takes longer to ignite, but it will burn slower and steadier once it is lit. Dead branches, dry standing wood, finely split green wood, and dried animal dung are examples of fuel. Look up for burnable wood, not down.

When you leave a campsite be sure that your fire is completely out. If you’re in a survival situation the last thing you need is a forest fire chasing after you.

For more video clips, click a link to the left.

© 2008 LifeView Outdoors