Prepared Minimalist

Making fire is one of the most important survival skills to have.  Fire gives one the edge to survive, or helps some in day to day life.

 

• Fire gives heat.  There may be times where fire is the only way to fight extreme cold.  It provides warmth, dries clothes and other items, and warms up rocks and the ground for a long night outside.   If a person’s body temperature gets too low, hypothermia, shock, and finally death can occur.

• Fire gives light.  Torches and lanterns are used specifically to light up a given area.  While fire needs fuel to continue to burn, it is an option if one doesn’t have batteries for their flashlight.  It may be difficult in some locations to find fuel to keep a fire going, but it will be much more difficult finding batteries in those habitats as well.

• Fire can be used to signal.  Weather this is intentional or not, the light and smoke which is produced by the fire can either help or hinder someone.  At times one may not want to be found.  Other times when one need’s rescuing, a fire can be your lifesaver.  

• Fire is used for cooking and boiling.  Fire allows one to kill all viruses and bacteria by cooking raw food, and boiling questionable water.  This is the only 100% method, if done right, which will destroy all those microorganisms which would have a field-day in one’s body.  Other food such as pasta, rice, tea, and oatmeal are made with the help of fire (or an electrical stove).

• Fire boosts morale.  In a life-threatening disaster scenario, about 90 percent of survival is placed on the person’s mentality, and not their skill.  The will to live is much more valuable than the skill to survive.  Having skill and items though does make the survival ordeal much more successful with high morale.

• Fire is a repellant.  If a fire is lit, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and other insects will stay clear in a given diameter of it.  Most other living organisms one would encounter in the wild will also stay clear from fire as well.

• Fire is a weapon.  That angry and hungry bear that comes walking in, could be fended off with fire as well.  Flamethrowers specifically made fire into a devastating weapon.  Just be careful of fire, since fire isn’t your ally, and WILL BURN YOU and anything else it comes in contact with.  It can level a forest, a home, or your entire bug out bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that you know what fire can do for you, or to you, it’s time to make it (carefully).

 

 

Building a Fire!

 

Step 1: Set up a fire platform.  This could be on a flat rock or tree bark.  It should be far away from other high hanging trees and bushes to prevent a wildfire. 

Step 2: Prepare wood for step 3, 4 and 5.

Step 3: Use your ignition source to light your tinder.  Blowing on bright glowing embers help get the fire going.

Step 4: Make a Toothpick-size Tepee.  As the name implies, these sticks should be very thin.

Step 5: Make a Q-Tip-size Tepee. These sticks will be a bit thicker, and about a couple inches taller.

Step 6: Make a Pencil-size Tepee. These sticks will be the size of a pencil. 

Step 7: Continue to add fuel when needed.

 

 

Need to carry fire?  Make a Fire Bundle! If one needs to move with a fire, a fire bundle is the way to go.  One which is done right can last for a couple hours to a couple days.  A fire bundle is comprised of all tinder.  However the core tinder is the finest while it gradually becomes thicker up until the shell.  This allows for it to burn slowly.  The covering shell should be wrapped tightly into a cylinder like shape.