BUILDING A FIRE – The Easy Way

Terry listed some ways you can start a fire in the wilderness. I would like to expand on some of the uses of fire and add a few more methods for quickly starting fires when needed.

*To start with, you should Know & Memorize the Rule of Three’s – On average, we survive:
- 3 minutes without oxygen
- 3 hours without warmth or shelter
- 3 days without water, and
- 3 weeks without food.

In the wilderness or in a survival situation you may need a fire for several or all of the following:

Comfort – a warm fire does much to console one’s spirit
Cooking – who likes cold food anyways…even granola and Top Ramen taste better hot!
Light – when it gets dark, it is nice to be able to see your way around objects
Safety – to thwart some wild animals
Signaling – fires in three make a signal be
Time Consumption – it beats sitting in the dark doing nothing and gives you time to think
Warmth – it is necessary to avoid hypothermia *Remember the rule of three’s.

Fire-building is a learned skill. So,…Practice! Practice! Practice! Then when you need a fire, fire-building in a hurry…will not be a problem.

Also, it is always better to be prepared than to have to start a fire with essentials. Therefore be prepared with a few of the following tools and you will never be caught short on being able to start a fire when you need to in the rain, snow, cold or sunshine.

First Tools – Begin with an additive(s):
1 bag of pre-gathered dryer lint for tinder
1 bag of unraveled hemp rope
1 package of pre-made egg carton wax fire starters
1 bag pine cones soaked in wax
1 package of "0000" steel wool (advantage - ultra light)
1 package of tea candles
1 box of fatwood (pitchwood)
1 fire safe aluminum bottle filled with white gas, alcohol or regular gas (This stuffs dangerous!)
1 can of kerosene lamp fuel (Also dangerous!)
1 or more small cans of stove fuel such as butane, Isobutane or propane (Less dangerous!)
1 can calcium carbide miner’s Lamp rock fuel (Unique, it uses water and snow to start the fire)
1 plastic bag filled with pre-made aluminum packets filled with cotton soaked in petroleum jelly
1 package of WetFire tinder or a military (or civilian) cubed, jell or paste firestarter

Next Tools - Use Reliable Fire Starters (samples of some available are below):
Pre-dipped, store-bought (or home-made) wind and waterproofed matches (use wax; not too hot or you will get ignition, or use nail polish or varnish instead)
Swedish Fire Steel by Light My Fire
BlastMatch by Ultimate Survival Technologies
StrikeForce by Ultimate Survival Technologies
Aurora Fire Starter by Solo Scientific
Single-Triple Flame Fire Torch Lighters made by various companies