 Campfire
- Safety rules
It is hard to imagine a camp without campfire.
If the camp is for children, special caution needs to be taken
before organizing a campfire.
Here are some safety tips before you go and make your campfire.
Should you have a Fire?
With increasing concern over the environment it is not uncommon
to change the traditional concept of campfire. Many campers
now a days sit around a petromax light and enjoy their campfire.
If you have to have a `fire` you may scale it down to minimise
the damage.
Campfires are more dangerous in summer and in dry and windy
seasons. Fire Danger is measured in a scale of five from Low
to Extreme
 Before
the Make the Fire
• Fire pits can be dangerous and require caution at every step.
• Watch out for ashes and items such as Glass, Nails etc.
• Mark an area around the fire and keep the children out.
• Keep the wood away from the fire. This will help prevent the
fire from spreading and you also do not risk tripping over and
falling into the fire pit either!
How do you build a fire
Make a fire that is safe to light. There are a few things you
need to keep in mind when choosing fuel to feed a campfire.
• Never use Petrol or diesel to feed a campfire. This fuels
may ignite explosively. Also the fume from the burning fuel
is toxic. Fuel vapors are inflammable too. Some 'garbage' can
release toxic fumes when burned.
• Some garbage can also release toxic fume. Do not put foam,
Plastic into the fire.
• Do not put any dangerous items in the fire. Do not keep any
fuel or battery cells close to the fire.
• Green wood does not burn well. It causes a lot of smoke and
is difficult to light. So you dry wood for the fire. Collect
the firewood from the ground. Do not cut any trees. Cutting
of trees will not only harm the environment, you will find it
almost impossible to burn.
 During
the Fire
You need to consider a number of things and act carefully during
the campfire.
• Always demonstrate good safety habits around campfire and
point them out to the young.
• Make your rules clear to everyone. Rules should be formed
according to the age group and type of the campers.
• Draw a line around the fire within which children should not
be allowed.
• It is important that the children are allowed to get closer
to the fire aided by adults. This will help remove some of the
mystery.
After the Fire
Once the campfire is over it is important to extinguish it safely
and completely. A fire not extinguished properly would have
the potential to reignite during the night, especially if the
night is airy. This may cause havoc in the camp site.
• Water is the best resource to kill a fire.
Make sure all the embers are put out effectively. Even when
water douses the top of the heap, there might be lingering fire
in the bottom.
• It is a good idea to cover the ashes with sand after it is
doused. This way any trace of the fire will be smothered.
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