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For the youth organization in the United States , see Camp Fire USA A campfire is a Fire lit at a Campsite , usually in a Fire Ring . Campfires are a popular feature of Camping , particularly among organized campers such as Scouts or Guides . Without proper precautions they are also potentially dangerous. A certain degree of skill is needed to properly build a campfire, to keep it going, and to see that it is properly extinguished. THE DANGERS A campfire may burn out of control in two basic ways: on the ground or in the Tree s. Dead Leaves or Pine Needle s on the ground may ignite from direct contact with burning Wood , or from Thermal Radiation . Alternatively, airborne Ember s (or their smaller kin, Spark s) may ignite dead material in overhanging Branch es. This latter threat is less likely, but a Fire in a branch will be virtually impossible to put out without firefighting equipment, and may spread more quickly than a ground fire. Hence, many campgrounds include fire rings to prevent this from occurring. Embers may simply fall off of logs and be carried away by the air, or they may be ejected at high speed by exploding pockets of Sap . With these dangers in mind, some places prohibit all open fires, particularly during times of the year that are prone to Wildfire s. Campfires are prohibited in many public camping areas. Public areas with large tracts of Woodland usually have signs indicating the level of fire danger, which usually depends on recent rain and the amount of deadfalls or dry debris; when the danger is highest, all open Fire s are prohibited. Even in safer times, it is common to require registration and permits to build a campfire. Such areas are often kept under observation by Rangers , who will dispatch someone to investigate any unidentified plume of smoke. FINDING A SITE, AND OTHER SAFETY MEASURES Ideally, every fire should be lit in a Fire Ring . If a fire ring is not available, a temporary fire site may be constructed. One way is to cover the ground with Sand , or other soil mostly free of flammable Organic material, to a depth of a few centimeters. The area of sand should be large enough to safely contain the fire and any pieces of burning wood that may fall out of it (10ft/3m is recommended). Sand piles should be scattered after the fire has been put out. If the Topsoil is moist, it may suffice to simply clear it of any dead plant matter. Fire rings, however, do not fully protect material on the ground from catching fire. Flying embers are still a threat, and the fire ring may become hot enough to ignite material in contact with it. Generally, one must simply stand away from the ring to prevent injury. No fire should be lit close to Tree s, Tent s or other fire hazards. This includes overhanging branches; some carry dead, dry material that can ignite from a single airborne ember. In addition, a fire may harm any Root s under it, even if they are protected by a thin layer of soil. Conifer s run a greater risk of root damage, because they lack Taproot s and their roots run close to the surface. Fires also should not be lit on bare rocks. The ash will leave a black stain that cannot be easily removed, but the fire's heat can lead to more dramatic consequences. It will cause the outer layer of the rock to expand, possibly causing it to crack. It may also boil pockets of water contained in the rock. An additional safety measure is to have sand and Water on hand to smother and douse the fire if it does get out of the fire pit. It is wise to gather these materials before they are actually needed. TYPES OF FUEL There are, by conventional classification, three types of material involved in building a fire without manufactured Fuel s. #'' Tinder '' is anything that can be lit with a Match . The best natural tinder is dead, dry Pine needles or Grass ; a more comprehensive list is given in the article on Tinder . A quantity of tinder sufficient to fill one's cupped hands to the top is the bare minimum needed. #'' Kindling '' is an arbitrary classification including anything bigger than tinder but smaller than fuelwood. In fact, there are gradations of kindling, from sticks thinner than a finger to those as thick as a wrist. A quantity of kindling sufficient to fill a hat may be enough, but more is better. #''Fuelwood'' ranges from small logs two or three inches across to larger logs that can burn for hours. It is typically impossible to gather without a Hatchet or other cutting tool. In heavily used campsites, fuelwood can be hard to find, so it may have to be brought from home or purchased at a nearby store. The gathering of fuel in natural areas is often restricted. Cutting of living trees is almost always forbidden - but neither is it very useful, because sap-filled wood does not burn well. ''Squaw wood'' (dead parts of standing trees) may also be prohibited. Wood lying on the ground is usually permitted. BUILDING THE FIRE Having found a suitable site and gathered materials, the fire-builder has a variety of designs to choose from. A good design is very important in the early stages of a fire. Most of them make no mention of fuelwood - in most designs, fuelwood is never placed on a fire until the kindling is burning strongly.
LIGHTING THE FIRE Once the fire is built, the next step is to light the tinder, using either a Match or a Lighter . A reasonably skillful fire-builder using reasonably good material will only need one match. The tinder will burn brightly, but be reduced to glowing embers within half a minute. If the kindling does not catch fire, the fire-builder must gather more tinder, determine what went wrong and try to fix it. One of five problems can prevent a fire from lighting properly: wet wood, wet weather, too little tinder, too much wind, or a lack of oxygen. Rain will, of course, douse a fire, but a combination of Wind and Fog also has a stifling effect. Metal fire rings generally do a good job of keeping out wind, but some of them are so high as to impede the circulation of oxygen in a small fire. To make matters worse, these tall fire rings also make it very difficult to blow on the fire properly. Steady, forceful blowing may be in order for a small fire in an enclosed space that has mysteriously slowed down, but blowing may extinguish a fire if it is done abruptly or when it is not needed. Most large fires easily create their own circulation, even in unfavorable conditions, but the variant log-cabin fire-build suffers from a chronic lack of air so long as the initial structure is maintained. Once the large kindling is burning, all of the kindling should be put on the fire, save for one piece at least a foot long. This piece is useful later to push pieces of fuelwood where they are needed. Once all of the kindling is burning, the fuelwood should be placed on top of it (unless, as in the rakovalkea fire-build, it is already there). For best results, two or more pieces of fuelwood should be leaned against each other, as in the tipi fire-build. Without matches There are several ways to light a fire without any matches. All of them work with only the lightest and most flammable tinder, such as paper.
CAMPFIRE ACTIVITIES Campfires have been used for Cooking since time immemorial. However, Portable Stove s have all but replaced campfires in this regard. For cooking information, see Cooking On A Campfire . Other practical, though not commonly needed, applications for campfires include drying wet Clothing , alleviating Hypothermia and use as a Distress Signal . Most campfires, though, are lit exclusively for recreation. People tend to find something fascinating about flames and glowing coals, so a campfire is usually an agreeable (and warm) way to pass the time from Dusk to Bedtime , particularly for those in a pensive mood. Campfires are also good venues for intimate conversation and Story telling; Yarn s and stories about Poltergeist s are particularly popular. Another traditional campfire activity involves impaling Marshmallow s on sticks or uncoiled Coat Hanger s, and roasting them over the fire. Roasted marshmallows may also be used for '' S'more ''s. Ash tradition The campfire ash tradition exists in Scouting all over the world. There may be an introduction and closing to it at the end of a campfire ceremony or individuals may partake of this tradition on their own. Lord Robert Baden-Powell , the founder of Scouting and the Chief Scout of the World, used to collect some of the ashes from each Scouting event and carry them with him to the next event. He would mix the ashes of the old fire with the new one. As this tradition has spread, Scouts from around the world have shared campfires and ashes with each other. Lists have been kept of the events where they have been shared. These lists form a history and a bond between Scouts and Scouter s over the years; regardless of the distance, language, culture or uniform. These ashes represent the Friendship and Scouting Spirit shared by Scouts and Guides at campfires around the world. EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE Leaving a fire unattended is dangerous. Any number of accidents might occur in the absence of people, leading to property damage, personal injury or possibly a wildfire. Ash is a very good Insulator , so embers left overnight will only lose a fraction of their heat. It is even possible to restart the new day's fire by using the embers vice an igniting device. Large amounts of water are indispensable for extinguishing a fire. To properly cool a fire, water should be splashed on all the embers, including places that are not glowing red. Splashing the water is both more effective and efficient in extinguishing the fire. The water will boil violently and carry ash in the air with it, dirtying anything nearby but not posing a safety hazard. The water should be poured until the hissing noises stop. Then the ashes should be stirred with a stick to make sure that the water has penetrated all the layers; if the hissing continues, more water should be added. A fire is fully extinguished if the ashes are cool to the touch. If water is scarce, sand may be used. The sand will deprive the fire of oxygen quite well, but it is much less effective than water at absorbing heat. Once the fire has been covered thoroughly with sand, all water that can be spared should be poured on it, and the sand stirred into the ash. Finally, in lightly-used Wilderness areas, it is best to replace anything that was moved while preparing the fire site, and scatter anything that was gathered, so that it looks as natural as possible. SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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