Preventing fires

So how do YOU prevent forest fires?

After all, if you have a fire going in the woods, even if you think you put it out, it can lead to trouble. Do you have a ritual you follow to make sure it doesn't spread?

 

I don't even know how people manage to get a fire spread. It seems so impossible to me that I'd have to try to make it happen.

It's all common sense. The stuff is automatic.

 

I usually leave it to my husband! He's the fire guy.

 

We dig a hole to start the fire in and line it with stones. When we want to put it out we cover it with the dirt from the hole we dug and pour on some water to make the dirt damp. This works well for us and there isn't usually any smoke while we put it out either.

 

We're very careful about how we make our fire. I also make sure it's not too large and that it has a barrier around it. Me being the freak I am about starting a wildfire take all necessary precautions. I instruct my family or anyone never to put water on a fire, but instead put mud on it. After I establish my camp site and area I make sure that I always have a decent amount of dirt to pile down on the fire. Whether I bring it with me or collect some in the wild it is a great way to put out a fire. If you don't need it and are leaving the site just dump it an area instead of lugging it back. It might seem a bit troublesome, but it will work if there is a fire. It actually happened to us once and it did the job. The fire was small, but it served a lesson.

 

Maybe so, but that could be because you were taught at some point and it's just second nature to you. Some people don't realize that even a single spark can start a fire and if they leave a stamped out fire still smoldering, it wouldn't be too hard for a fallen stem or branch to catch fire after they leave.

 

When I build a camp fire I first dig a pit for it. I also clear a large area to make sure there isn't any pine needles around (just dirt). I then line stones/rocks around the pit. I also will place a small metal screen on it to make sure nothing pops out the fire. When I am done I pour water on it and bury the hole up.

 

We make sure it is in a clear area . To me that is the key to containing the fire. We usually make a circle of dirt all around the pit area. And ofcoarse you have to have the rocks or some kind of buffer to keep the actual fire in line. We never leave the fire unattended. And we never let the fire get to high. When we are done we make sure the fire is completely soaked down. We grab buckets of lake water and swish it around the logs to get them wet. Then we poke at the fire to make sure their are no burning ember still in there.