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 The focus of these pages is Beavers, the junior section of Scouts Canada. |
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It amazed me as I read through pages of information on the web and in books that nearly two-thirds of all forests fires occur because of human carelessness and machines! According to the Ministry of Forests in the province of British Columbia, the top four causes of these fires are abandoned campfires, careless smokers, children with matches, and industrial practices. Nature, and that includes lightning, is responsible for only a third. Contents Purpose and Background of This Page
The purpose of this page is to help Colony Scouters understand the basics of tending and extinguishing fires. More often we refer to them and use them as Campfires, but we occasionally use them as cooking fires, for drying clothes and for warmth. The purpose is NOT to tell you how to build a campfire or to run a Campfire. It is nice to have a real Campfire with our Beavers once in a while. While many Colony Scouters have fire building skills, generally the art of preparing the fire and extinguishing it is left to someone else. Hopefully, there is someone around from one of the senior sections, including Scouts, who knows about these things. The intent here is to give Colony Scouters enough information that while you may not have to master the art of building fires, you will understand how to prepare, light, care for and extinguish a fire responsibly. For the purpose of this page: Campfires for Beavers
It's hard to talk about fires without mentioning Campfires. To some people they are one and the same — whether as a ceremony or as entertainment. There is little consideration of the fire itself. I'll briefly mention the Campfire first. I recently read that a Beaver Campfire should be no longer than 10 minutes. I don't believe that because a Campfire fits into the natural flow of the Beaver program. It can have songs (spiritual and action), skits (play acting or mime), stories, rhythms, chants and cheers. In addition to the fascination of the fire, a well designed Campfire program will keep Beavers interested and focused for a lot longer. But this page is not about running a Campfire. It is about the fire, with a Campfire as the fun medium for teaching. First, involve your Beavers. As a craft, show them the basics by building an Edible Campfire. During the day, let them help build the fire. They can carry pieces of wood to the fire pit. Show them what good kindling looks like, and let them help gather it. Teach them environmental stewardship while they help prepare the fire site. In this way, when the fire is lit, (magically or otherwise), they will be excited in anticipation, knowing they helped. Second, work with them to prepare their songs and skits for presentation during the Campfire. Help them develop their own ideas. Finally, reinforce the stewardship by showing them and involving them in the final clean-up of the fire pit. Make the Beavers part of the whole process of a Campfire and you'll teach them not only how to have fun, but responsibility too. Basic Truths about Fires
Here's a list of basic truths and concepts:
In summary, fire safety depends on three things:
Putting Out Your Fire
Your fire should only be as big as it needs to be so that once the Campfire is over, the fire has begun to burn down. Here are some guidelines to ensure it is completely out and the environment safe. From the Fieldbook for Canadian Scouting, "As the fire burns down, heap the chunks of burning wood [and embers and coals] that remain into a pile so they are completely consumed by the flames, leaving only ashes to dispose of when your fire has finished." The fire should be out, and that means "COLD OUT". What is left of your fire, and the ground around it, must be cool enough for you to touch it with your bare hands. Here are several methods to put out the fire. Extinguishing With Water Sprinkle (not pour) water on the fire. Use the back of your fingers to flick water onto embers. Stir the wetted sticks, coals and ashes with a stick. Separate them and turn over anything smouldering. Wet them down again until the coals and ground around the fire are COLD OUT. Extinguishing Without Water If water is not available to put out your fire, work soil or sand into the embers. The soil should have nothing in it that will burn. Stir the soil into the fire, spreading the sticks and coals. Remove embers from larger pieces by scraping them with a stick, or rub them against the ground until they are out. Cover the coals and ashes with more soil and work them together. Test everything with your hands to ensure it is COLD OUT. If you've made you own campfire site, return the site to its original condition. This may mean carefully replacing any sod or topsoil you have removed, and making it look as if nobody has been there. Links to Other Campfire Information Outdoor Fire Safety Campfires and Backyard Burning About Campfires Camp Fire Magic Campfire Starts The Mac Scouter Jim
Speirs Forest Fire Prevention and Suppression Regulation Please let us know if any links are broken. Bibliography
Last updated: December 12, 1999
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