|
Home About Us Glossary Disclaimer Contact Links
The ability to light a fire to warm a hut in the snow is a valuable to under-practiced skill. We offer the following tips for firelighting in emergency situations, such as where you are wet and cold but not yet in danger of hypothermia. There is no right or wrong way to do this; these are simply our techniques. We do not advocate the use of a fire unless in exceptionally cold, wet circumstances.
Warning: never place a person with hypothermia in front of a fire; it will force the blood to their skin and away from their core where it is needed. This is dangerous.
1. Collect as much wood as you think you'll need. Try not to take anything which is old, is an obvious insect or animal habitat, or is larger than about 7.5cms/3" in diameter. Collect only dry fallen timber; if it does not snap easily, it is probably not yet dried. However, in the snow you may struggle to find enough dry wood for a fire anyway, unless there is a wood store for winter use in the hut. If you are using wood from a wood store, be sparing; others in an even more dire situation may need the wood at a later date.
2. Gather your materials. This will include some wood, matches or a lighter, and some newspaper or other easily-flammable material. Fire-lighting materials which you can carry with you include:
- Petroleum-based solid firelighters from the supermarket or hardware shop,
- 7.5cm/3” lengths of candle wick dipped in wax,
- a 30 or 60ml leakproof container of methylated spirits, or use a small amount of metho from your Trangia supply. Do not use Shellite, as it burns out to quickly and has a tendency to explode,
- In an emergency, Two Minute Noodle packets are hard to light but burn with a steady though small flame once alight,
- alcohol wipes from your first aid kit can be lit.
Sort the wood into kindling (<2mm), smaller pieces (2-5mm diameter), medium pieces (5-15mm diameter), and large pieces (>15mm). This will allow you to quickly grab the right-sized piece when you need it.
If the wood is superficially wet, use your knife to strip the bark from the wood to expose dry wood inside. With medium pieces, 'feather' the stick by cutting into it and leaving strips of wood or bark hanging off (see picture).
3. Arrange a platform of dryish medium- or large- sized wood with some scrunched-up newspaper on the platform. If you have damp wood, place some in a pile next to the fire so it can start drying from the fire’s heat right away.
Arrange kindling and some small sticks over the newspaper in a pyramid. Place one or two medium sticks carefully on top of this to start them burning as soon as possible. Ensure that there is plenty of ventilation so that air can circulate into the seat of the fire. If using methylated spirits, sprinkle some over the kindling. Take extreme care and never, ever pour fuel onto a fire which has already been lit.
Do not use shellite or
other highly-volatile liquids as fire-lighting aids except in cases of
extreme emergency, due to the potential for flare-ups causing serious
injury. Never, ever use shellite for firelighting in a confined space such
as a hut, as the fumes are likely to explode. Never, ever pour any kind of
liquid fuel onto a fire which has already been lit.
4. Light the fire. If you are using methylated spirits, you will have only a small amount of time to ensure that the kindling catches before the metho burns out. Blow gently onto the fire as required to make sure it is well-ventilated. Add more kindling as required, well before the fire looks as though it needs it. Start adding progressively larger pieces of wood as needed until the fire is going properly.
5. Never leave the fire unsupervised. If sleeping in the hut, ensure that all the flame is properly out and there is no wood or other fuel nearby before you go to bed for the night. If leaving the hut for the night, ensure that the fire is properly out. In the morning, ensure that the fireplace is completely cold before you leave the site..
Be sure that the fire is out before leaving.
|
|
