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Dad Field Manual · Field card 74 · Classic Field Skills

Build and put out a small campfire

Ninety minutes in a fire ring or fire pit. Pick the spot, build the fire in layers, keep it small, then put it all the way out.

Time
90 min
Cost
About $5
Ages
8 and up
Where
Fire ring or fire pit

Since 1911: The 1911 book says to soak the fire and the ground around it. The National Park Service now says to drown it, stir the ashes and feel for heat until it's cold, and never leave a fire, even for a moment. Check for burn bans first; fires may be banned in dry weather.

What you need

  • Matches or a lighter (adult only)
  • Dry tinder: dry grass, small twigs, paper bark
  • Kindling (pencil-thick sticks) and a few wrist-thick pieces of firewood
  • A bucket of water and a shovel, close at hand
  • A fire ring or a pit with a cleared area around it

Fire safety: read this first

  • Check for burn bans and fire restrictions with your park or local fire department before you light anything. If a ban is on, skip this plan.
  • An adult lights and tends the fire. Never leave it alone, even briefly, and never leave children alone with it.
  • Keep water and a shovel next to the fire at all times. Keep hair, sleeves and shoes away from the flames.
  • Build away from tents, overhanging branches, dry grass and leaves. Use only a fire ring or cleared pit.

Steps

  1. Check the rules and the weather. Check for burn bans and wind; no fire if either is a problem.
  2. Pick the spot. Use a fire ring or cleared pit; keep water and a shovel beside it.
  3. Gather three sizes of wood. Gather three piles: tinder, pencil-thick kindling and wrist-thick fuel.
  4. Build in layers. Pile tinder, lean kindling over it with air gaps, and add heavier sticks later.
  5. Dad lights it. Dad lights the tinder and feeds the fire slowly; keep it small.
  6. Let it burn down. Stop feeding wood early so the fire burns down to coals.
  7. Put it out: drown, stir, feel. Pour water, stir the ashes, and feel with the back of your hand until there's no heat.

If it stalls

  • If the fire won't catch, there is probably too little air or the wood is damp. Add more tinder and open up the gaps.
  • Kids tend to pile on wood. Let them add one stick at a time.
Coals fully cold? yes or no
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date