Emergency Fire Starting Tips (Part IV)

The Strap Drill

To conclude my emergency fire starting tips series, I would like to provide you all with one more video courtesy of Nick Spadaro and the Maine Primitive Skills School in Augusta, Maine. This technique is another form of primitive friction fire starting, known as the strap drill. I hope you all enjoy! Just remember to be safe when starting a fire with any of the methods I have listed on this blog!

Emergency Fire Starting Tips (Part III)

The Hand Drill

The next portion of my emergency fire starting tips is another form of primitive friction fire, known as the hand drill. As this is much easier seen than read, I have provided you all with another instructional video, courtesy of Nick Spadaro and the Maine Primitive Skills School in Augusta, Maine. I think it's quite helpful, so I hope you all enjoy!

Emergency Fire Starting Tips (Part II)

The Bow Drill

To continue my instructional pieces on emergency fire starting, I decided to cover primitive forms of friction fire. Unfortunately, these are rather difficult to explain in a short, concise paragraph, making it hard for me to publish easy-to-understand instructions, while keeping the length of the post down to an acceptable size. Luckily, an acquaintance of mine, Nick Spadaro, has a few great detailed videos that will cover these topics. I am currently a member of his Primitive Skills club at Unity College, and he is also an instructor at the Maine Primitive Skills School in Augusta, Maine. These videos are shown courtesy of Nick Spadaro and the Maine Primitive Skills School. To start off with this series of instructional videos, I have chosen the bow drill, which Nick had also taught me first hand. I hope you enjoy!

An Interesting Film Coming to PBS May 13, 2008

The well publicized "disaster" that took place on Mount Everest in 1996 has been the source of heated debates and controversies since its first appearance in the media. It has been the focus of many articles and books, including successful novel Into Thin Air by climber and author Jon Krakauer. David Beashears, quite a legend in his own light, now helps add the visual aspect of the event with this new film set to air on PBS Frontline on May 13, 2008.

BPA: Nalgene Bottles & Your Health

As a frequent member of the outdoors community, I tend to get a lot of use out of specific equipment I use on various excursions. As a result, I naturally figure out which brands I prefer for different gear, and sometimes share these personal opinions with others; whether it is on the trails during a casual discussion, or in something I write or openly commend on this blog. However, some concern involving an important health issue has been expressed about particular brands of liquid containers (Nalgene®, Camelback®, etc.), which I had previously recommended over the years. While this is unfortunate, the health concern can be greatly reduced with some research and care when purchasing a product from these companies. Subsequently, to help out my friends and fellow excursionists outdoors, I am writing this article to give you an overview of what you should know about this health risk and how to avoid it.

What is the Health Risk?
The health concern for specific water containers such as Nalgene Original™ is the use of Bisphenol-A (BPA), which has been the target of numerous claims which state that the material may cause health problems. These problems range from reproductive failures such as miscarriage, to hyperactivity and obesity. However, an even larger concern is the possibility of the material’s ability to increase the risk of cancer. Nevertheless, according to the Food and Drug Administration, the threat of these health issues is not great enough to place a ban on the material from its current use.

How is BPA Used and Why is it Relevant to the Outdoors?
The material is used currently in many different plastic products, including the Nalgene Original™ bottle, which is often recommended for hikers, campers, climbers, etc. Due to the demand for containers and bottles required for continuous use, these name brands have been trusted and recommended over the years for numerous outdoor activities.

What is Being Done to Address this Issue and Which Items are Safe?
Nalgene® has created an informative page dedicated to sharing information about BPA, and has also gathered links including the official FDA statement on the material. To access this page, click here. In addition to the informative page, Nalgene® has also released information on which of their products still contain BPA, which you can access by clicking here. Currently, the only bottle which does contain the material is their Original™. Camelback® has also recently started advertising their products which do not contain BPA via stickers and print on the side of their bottles. Taking some extra time to look for these indications may be useful when purchasing a container or bottle for continuous use.

In Conclusion:
Due to the concern over the health issues regarding the use of Bisphenol-A, I urge my friends and fellow excursionists to do a little research before buying products, especially if they intend on using them for an extended period of time. Of course, this applies to every piece of equipment you purchase for your trips into the wilderness. I cannot stress enough how important it is to invest in proper equipment that will serve you the way you expect it to, and the best way to do this is get background information before buying something. Some products may be worth the brand name, and others may not, depending on what you intend to use it for. Take the additional time before spending the additional dime!

Emergency Fire Starting Tips (Part I)

I would like to begin my series of lectures with a few quick emergency fire starting tips and procedures. This is mainly because starting and maintaining a fire is one of the most crucial elements to survival in the wilderness. Fire can provide heat, light, and means of cooking and purifying water.

First, some definitions:

1. Coal: This describes the initial flame you start with, often referring to the saw dust you create and ignite when bow drilling or hand drilling (I'll discuss those later in Part II).
2. Coal Extender: This is what you use to keep your coal lit. Good examples you can find include cattail "fluff," fine saw dust, dead wood, or the ground up inside of Tinder Fungus.
   
3. Tinder: This is what you'll light with your coal when you're ready. This can be made out of Cedar bark, or something along those lines.
   
4. Kindling: This is what you'll light with your tinder once it creates a flame. It starts the fire off with smaller wood so that the larger wood can be added later.
   
5. Fire Wood: This is the larger wood you'll need to finish building the fire, and to keep it burning for a long time.
   

Preparation:

• Preparation is not necessarily "everything," but still makes up a good 90% of the "ingredients" for a successful fire. Keep in mind that if you take the time to prepare a fire pit and gather and assemble your wood in advance, even if your first attempts fail, you at least have that part out of the way and nothing to worry about when you are finally successful; not being prepared may cause your fire to die out while gathering and assembling after you've ignited a coal or tinder bundle, leading you to repeat that process once more.

Assembling a Fire Ring/Pit:

• Find an open area, and clear out any debris on the ground, including leaves and plants.
• If you choose to dig out a section of the ground to make a "pit," do so, if not, ignore this step.
• Find fairly large rocks (give or take 1 square foot ideally) and assemble them around the perimeter of your fire ring or pit. This is to stop the fire and/or embers from escaping, and to give a little resistance against the wind.
  
• Prepare a spot for your tinder, and build up your kindling into either a "cabin style" foundation (placing two pieces of wood parallel to one another horizontally, and then two more on top of those vertically, creating a log cabin effect) or in a "tee pee style" foundation (propping the pieces of wood against one another diagonally to create a cone shape or a tee pee effect) inside your ring of rocks.
  
• Continue the same pattern you have chosen (either the "cabin" or "tee pee") with your fire wood and larger sticks also inside the ring of rocks.
• Make sure you construct these foundations sturdy enough, but also keep them spaced apart enough so that the fire can "breathe" (the fire needs oxygen to burn, and a little room between your kindling will help fuel the fire).
  

Items Necessary or Useful When Starting an Emergency Fire:

• Lighter (anything from a Zippo to a cheap Bic)
• Matches (preferably waterproof)
• Magnesium Fire Starter (make sure you have a steel knife too)
• Swedish Fire Starter
  
• Steel Wool and a 9Volt Battery
  
• Cotton Balls and Vaseline or an Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizer
  

*Make sure you read the instructions of how to use these items, most of which can be purchased at a local outdoors store or WalMart.

Fire starting tips and instructions:

• Steel Wool and 9V Battery:

1. Use a piece of steel wool and place it somewhere safe, near to where you want to start the fire but away from other flammable items.
2. Place both ends of the 9V battery on the piece of steel wool, and the electricity should create the heat required to turn the steel wool into a coal.
3. Blow onto the steel wool, providing your fire with air to extend the coal.
4. You should have a large enough coal to start your fire, just be careful when moving the steel wool.
5. Enjoy your fire that only takes under a minute to start! Just make sure that don't leave it unattended!

• Cotton Balls and Vaseline/Hand Sanitizer

1. Take your cotton balls and coat the outsides with a layer of Vaseline or an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
2. Using your finger nails, pull apart the cotton ball to make a slight opening (so that the part opened doesn't contain any Vaseline or hand sanitizer)
3. Using a lighter, match, or magnesium/Swedish fire starter, ignite the opened part of the cotton ball.
4. The cotton ball should catch and then slowly burn (as the Vaseline/hand sanitizer acts as a candle to keep it lit for much longer)
5. Use the cotton ball to start your fire, but no need to rush as it will burn for a while! Just keep an eye on it and make sure you keep your fire attended at all times!

Safety Tips:

• As I have stressed before, which is often stressed by anyone discussing fire safety, NEVER LEAVE YOUR FIRE UNATTENDED. Of course, in the wilderness when one's surviving, it is sometimes necessary to slightly ignore this rule in order to maximize daylight use and to complete numerous tasks at once, but one should never venture further than they can see from the fire.
• Be cautious as to where you build the fire. Make sure you clear out other flammable materials that may catch easily, including dry plant roots scattered through the ground. Even after building a fire pit, if dry roots exist under the rocks you have built around the fire, the flame can simply spread under the "barrier" of rocks (coming from first experience).
• When building a fire inside a shelter, ventilation is the key. One must make sure to have enough ventilation to allow oxygen in, for both the fire and the occupants. Also be sure to give the smoke somewhere to go, you don't want to smoke yourself out of your own shelter. Obviously, the previous advice to keep flammable materials still apply.
• Always keep sand or water close by to extinguish the fire. It is beautiful and useful in many contexts under the right circumstances, but the dangers are too harsh to ignore. Therefore, don't be ignorant, respect the fury of the flame and use it as safely as possible.

This article is a brief compilation of tips and methods thrown together to give you an understanding of how to start a fire in the wilderness. Knowing this information in advance will help save time when you need to make a fire in an emergency situation. If you do decide to look into fire starting in more depth, there are plenty of resources available containing various methods and other tips not covered here. Also, keep at least two of the materials listed with you at all times while venturing into the outdoors, you never know when you'll need a quick fire, or when your first fire starting item may get lost or ineffective. Be safe and have fun!

A Brief Update

I know it has been a significant amount of time since I have written on the site. Well, to be honest my first year in Maine has been quite interesting, but I have still yet to overcome the paralyzing effects of the harsh winters. This, of course, is not to be confused with a struggle, but rather with a lack of motivation to tackle the outdoors during my first winter this far North. Instead I have been getting a feel for the season, so I can know what to expect next year. In the mean time, as the months of 2008 progress, it almost being the third of which, I have began to consider the excitements of the warmer season. Once the predicted snowfall of April clears, hopefully providing me with enough good weather for some interesting hikes, I intend to get as much outdoor experience as possible before returning to New York for the summer. I intend to summit a local mountain, organize a camping trip, and make another trip across Lake Winnecook before the end of May.

In the mean time, as I wait for the second half of the season to end, I have discovered a new way to keep you all updated and educated. I have recently joined a Primitive Skills Club, and will be documenting some of the activities and experiences on the site. Subsequently, I hope to regain the regular attendance of my audience, while providing you all with survival techniques, and fun activities for the outdoors.

I intend on describing the following lessons to you, and encourage you to participate and attempt these at home if possible:

• How to make a alcohol stove burner from a can
  
• How to hand drill and bow drill
• Emergency fire starting techniques
• Basic ice climbing techniques
  

Along with the lessons, which I intend on beginning soon, I will also do a brief gear review. Check the site soon for more updates, and hopefully I will have the instructional articles completed and some dates prepared for the first outdoor activities of the season.