Survival in the wilderness can be tough. But know that it is possible. One of the first lessons to survival is learning how to make a fire under most any conditions. Creating a fire can make the difference between life and death in many outdoor survival situations, for this reason, it is a good skill to master.
Making a fire is extremely important for a number of reasons. Fire is important to keep flying insects and dangerous animals away. Cooking, purifying water, and bandage sterilization is possible with a fire. It is also a tool for signaling help in a survival situation out in the wilderness.
To make a fire, you must have three things: air, heat, and fuel. Without these three components, fire is not possible and the rate of survival, in many instances, is decreased.
First, begin making a fire by selecting the best location. It depends what you are planning to do with the fire, to determine the best location. Keep your fire near your shelter for convenience. Also, in signaling situations, you will want your fire to be highly visible. Choose the area wisely before you begin the process of making a fire.
A campfire must start with small pieces of wood and then progress to larger timbers. Avoid collecting wood directly from the earth because it is probably damp. Damp wood will not work well to start a fire. Your efforts will be futile.
To begin a fire, you will need tender. Tender is absolutely dry material that requires only a spark to ignite. Paper, if you have some available, will work well. Dry leaves, bark, and grass also make great tender to start a fire.
Once you get the fire started, progress from the tender to kindling. Kindling is dry sticks and twigs that are readily combustible. When placed on a small flame, kindling should start burning quickly and easily.
Once the fire has begun burning, you can begin adding larger pieces of wood to the area. The fire can continue to burn well with proper maintenance and attention.
Your outdoor survival kit should include items to start the fire such as tender, a candle, and waterproof matches. A flint striker is another method to make a fire. This method provides a spark that will get the flame to burn.
The finer and drier the tender, the easier it is to start the fire. Fluff the tender well to simplify the fire making process. If the outdoor survival kit doesn’t have tender, use your knife to cut and chop dry sticks and bark to create tender. Remember the smaller the pieces the better. Place the flint striker at the tender and strike to create sparks. The sparks should make the tender catch fire. Sheltering the fire area from the wind when first making the sparks can be helpful.
Practice using these survival skills before an emergency to best be prepared. Making a fire is extremely important to survival. Learning the skill to making a fire will be extremely beneficial if you are ever placed in an outdoor survival situation.