Staying Warm with Fire Building

Well, we’re one snow day into the semester, and I’m sure everyone will be trying to stay warm these next few weeks. Can you believe our ancestors survived without electric heating? Fire is truly one of the most ancient survival tools that’s allowed humans to get to where we are today. Thank you Prometheus, we appreciate it.

It turns out that building a fire is pretty high up on the list of modern survival priorities (coming in at #4, after STOPing (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan), providing first aid, and seeking shelter). Fire helps with a variety of necessities, such as maintaining body heat, melting snow for water, drying out clothing, signaling for help, and raising your spirits. It just takes some practice to get one going.

*Note: This goes for any survival measure but pertains especially to fire. Always take precautions to minimize harm to the environment. You don’t want to start a forest fire because you were careless with your coals.

Let’s break this down to a science. There are 3 things fire needs:

1. Fuel
2. Oxygen
3. Heat

Science nerds, think about your basic combustion equation:

Fuel + Oxygen ——> Carbon Dioxide + Water

This means you need a source of heat to get the fire going and enough fuel/ventilation to keep it sustained.

So how do you actually go about building a fire? Start by gathering three kinds of flammable material:

• Tinder – fine, dry, very flammable material. Includes pine needles, weed fluff, dry grasses, and slivers of wood. Maximize surface area (make it fluffy) to increase chance of lighting (a good homemade option is dryer lint!).
• Kindling – material that will burn with a little encouragement. Aim for sticks that are no thicker than a pencil.
• Fuel – large sticks that keep the fire going.

It’s also important to arrange these materials in the correct way. Flame spreads upward because heat rises, which makes designs like the teepee especially effective. It also provides adequate ventilation. There are multiple other options as well, like the log cabin or lean-to.

But let’s move on to how you generate the third component, heat. This is often the biggest challenge of the fire triangle. In a survival situation, you probably won’t have matches or a lighter on you, so let’s look at 3 ways you can start a fire without them.

• Magnifying Glass
  • You can improvise a lens using glasses, camera lenses, or binoculars. Your goal is to focus sunlight to concentrate it in the smallest, brightest pinpoint possible. This can generate enough heat to start a fire. Think of kids burning ants with a magnifying glass (cruel but true). On a clear, sunny day, this method will work.
• Flint and Steel
  • This method can work if you have a metal object (such as a knife) and are able to find some flint (a dark, shiny rock that fractures easily). You strike the flint with steel to produce sparks. Personally, I think this method is sketchy at best to perform in a survival situation, but hey, it worked in Hatchet. It’s definitely a skill that requires practice, though. An easier alternative is a magnesium firestarter.

• Fire by Friction
  • 

    A Bow Drill Photo Source

    This is by far the hardest option. Starting a fire using friction (using a hand or bow drill) is something I’ve seen people try and fail at many times on Naked and Afraid. It takes a lot of skill and the right materials to work. I wouldn’t invest in this one to save you if you’re lost, but if you’re curious you can check out a great video here.

I hope this post helped you gleam at least a shred of understanding about fire building, or at least an appreciation for the skill. Having homes with controlled temperatures is something we definitely take for granted today, and there are people all over the world who still rely on fire to meet many of their basic needs. I hoped you learned something, catch ya next time!