Preventing Fires in Tents
Horror stories abound of camping excursions gone
horribly awry, laid waste by the destructive power of a raging fire that
blazed out of control. As this
pertains to camping tents, very few people realize how little time one has
to evacuate a tent before it literally goes up in flames.
Various simulations and experiments conducted on tents show that an
average tent will be completely consumed by a fire within 60 seconds of
lighting it. Moreover, while the
loss of several hundred dollars worth of gear may be most disappointing, it
is nothing compared to the possibility of that same tent fire spreading into
a full-blown forest fire. Many
modern tents are now treated with flame retardant or made of flame-resistant
material, but this isn't an excuse to be reckless with what is statistically
perhaps the greatest camping danger.
To avoid the hazard of fire burning away not only your adventuring
equipment but a decent-sized chunk of the great outdoors, it is highly
recommended that you observe the following guidelines:
- Read the
rules. Camping areas normally
provide rules and regulations regarding where and when you can build
fires, which you should follow for your own safety.
Typically, if the area is dry or windy, or otherwise unfavorable,
you should not build a fire.
- Keep the
fire small. The bigger the
fire, the hotter it burns, and larger fires are unsuitable for cooking,
anyway. More importantly, a large
fire is more susceptible to stray winds blowing it into surrounding
foliage, and is much harder to extinguish even with water.
As such, do make an effort to keep the fire at a manageable size,
just within your needs, and avoid stoking it too often.
- Keep the
fire away. Build your fire at
a fair distance from brush, trees, and tents.
Use a fire ring if one is available, to minimize the chance of a
wind blowing embers onto flammable objects.
- Build a
safer fire. Resist the
temptation to use gasoline or other petroleum-based products to help
ignite a fire or keep it going.
The last thing you want to do is give your fire a fuel source that burns
quickly and hotly. You should
build your fire first with small pieces of kindling, and slowly add
pieces of wood to the kindling until you achieve a fire of a size that
you can use. Extra firewood
should be kept in a pile that does not sit upwind from the fire, and
also placed at a distance.
- Have a fire
picket. If the fire will be
burning all night, or if you will be away from it periodically, set at
least two people to stay awake and keep watch over the fire – you will
need two watchpersons in case one of them falls asleep.
A fire picket is particularly
important for larger camping groups, which may require a fire burning
for warmth, light and safety. Rotate
the picket every hour.
Watchpersons should know of the location of a water source and a fire
extinguisher if one was brought.
Also, they should be equipped with a small bucket filled with water to
douse minor accidents, such as sparks leaping out of the fire and
lighting nearby patches of grass.
- Be ready to
extinguish the fire. Keep a
bucket of sand or water nearby, as well as a shovel, so that you can
take action immediately to put out the fire if necessary.
- Put the
fire out completely. Pour
water on the fire and every single glowing ember or piece of wood that
was used. Make all of it is wet
and entirely snuffed out.
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