Archive for the ‘Fire’ Category
Posted by nwnikkie on July 11, 2011
(This is taken from the US Army Survival Manual; I have no external link to it. If you would like a copy of the manual, please contact me via commenting below and I will send you an electronic copy by email.)
In many survival situations, the ability to start a fire can make the difference between living and dying. Fire can fulfill many needs. It can provide warmth and comfort. It not only cooks and preserves food, it also provides warmth in the form of heated food that saves calories our body normally uses to produce body heat. You can use fire to purify water, sterilize bandages, signal for rescue, and provide protection from animals. It can be a psychological boost by providing peace of mind and companionship. You can also use fire to produce tools and weapons.
Fire can cause problems, as well. The enemy can detect the smoke and light it produces. It can cause forest fires or destroy essential equipment. Fire can also cause burns carbon monoxide poisoning when used in shelters.
Remember weigh your need for fire against your need to avoid enemy detection.
BASIC FIRE PRINCIPLES
To build a fire, it helps to understand the basic principles of a fire. Fuel (in a nongaseous state) does not burn directly. When you apply heat to a fuel, it produces a gas. This gas, combined with oxygen in the air, burns.
Understanding the concept of the fire triangle is very important in correctly constructing and maintaining a fire. The three sides of the triangle represent air, heat, and fuel. If you remove any of these, the fire will go out. The correct ratio of these components is very important for a fire to burn at its greatest capability. The only way to learn this ratio is to practice.
SITE SELECTION AND PREPARATION
You will have to decide what site and arrangement to use. Before building a fire consider–
- The area (terrain and climate) in which you are operating.
- The materials and tools available.
- Time: how much time you have?
- Need: why you need a fire?
- Security: how close is the enemy?
Look for a dry spot that–
- Is protected from the wind.
- Is suitably placed in relation to your shelter (if any).
- Will concentrate the heat in the direction you desire.
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Posted in Fire, Survival | Tagged: do-it-yourself, Fire, FireStarter, fuel, kindling, tinder | Leave a Comment »
Posted by nwnikkie on July 7, 2011
Techniques for staying ALIVE in every natural enviorment
The forest is a beautiful environment, which is why so many people go camping each year. However, it’s best to be prepared and know the fundamental survival skills of the forest. Here is a quick 9 step guide to survival in the forest.
1. STOP and Think
Use the Boy Scouts mnemonic device of “STOP”, which stands for “Stop, Think, Observe, and Plan”.
1. Retrace your steps.
2. Find a source of drinking water.
3. Create a fire.
4. Find or build a shelter before nightfall.
5. Fashion a weapon you can use for self defense.
6. Find a source of food.
7. Travel in one direction during daylight.
2. Retrace Your Steps (assuming you are lost)
If you’re lost the first thing to do is see if it’s possible to backtrack and retrace your steps to the last known path.
For the rest of these instructions, we’ll assume that you were unable to backtrack and that you are officially lost.
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Posted in Fire, First Aid/Medical, Food, Safety, Shelter, State of Mind, Survival, Tools, Water | Tagged: boyscouts, camping, edible, food, forest, heat, observe, plan, plants, predators, prepardness, shelter, steams, survival, think, traps, weapons | Leave a Comment »
Posted by nwnikkie on July 6, 2011
by Tactical Intelligence
Having the ability to create light without needing electricity should be part of everyone’s emergency essentials. While flashlights are certainly helpful, batteries quickly die out so having a store of candles on hand can provide the light and morale boost that one needs to make it through a dark night or two. But what if you didn’t have any candles available?
Fortunately there are very simple ways to make homemade lamps from everyday objects found around the house. In this article I’ll be teaching you the principles of how a simple lamp works and showing you a few examples so that if needed you can make your own.
How a Lamp Works
Both oil lamps and candles are able to continually burn their fuel (wax or oil) through a process called capillary action. You can easily see this process by dipping the corner of a paper towel in liquid. The liquid gets drawn up into the paper towel which is called capillary action.
Understanding this is the key to creating many different types of wicks for your homemade lamps. As long as the material is absorbent, it will be able to draw the fuel up into itself to be burned by the flame.
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Posted in Fire, Safety, Tools | Tagged: bacon, candle, Fire, grease, lamp, light, material, oil, q-tip | Leave a Comment »
Posted by nwnikkie on July 6, 2011
by Tactical Intelligence
I’m always looking for new ways of using common household materials in a survival situation. The other day I came across how you can take old newspapers and turn them into logs that can be used for fuel similar to any other log.
How to Make Logs from Newspaper
Step 1: Soak the Newspaper in water
The first thing you need to do is soak the newspaper in a sink or bucket. It helps to separate the newspapers into its smaller sections.
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Posted in Fire, Survival, Tools | Tagged: burn, do-it-yourself, Fire, fuel, heat, logs, newspaper, wood | 1 Comment »
Posted by nwnikkie on June 15, 2011
Urban survival is a tricky subject to discuss. There are advantages to urban survival. Anywhere you look there are items in trash cans and dumpsters that can be used to improve a survival situation. Cardboard boxes can be used for shelter, newspapers can be used for insulation and to the practical survivor another person’s trash can be a treasure. In this case we will use a coffee can to build a stove. Whether you call it a hobo stove, can stove, or just a survival stove, this is a cheap effective way to both cook and stay warm.
Keep an open mind during any survival situation. This stove can be used during a black out (power outage) caused by hurricanes to boil water and help purify it. Sadly, we recently watched victims of hurricane Katrina succumb to thirst. Preparation and knowledge or urban survival techniques, could have helped some to make it through that disaster. Methods of water distillation and purification options can take minutes to learn and could save you and your loved ones.
Whether backpacking, camping, or surviving, having a way to cook can make a huge difference. Whether that is a nice warm meal or life or death, knowing different methods of cooking is crucial.
A coffee can or large vegetable/ravioli can will allow you to build a stove and cook. A smaller can such as pork and beans can be used as a pot.
step by step pictures are located at the bottom of this post!
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Posted in Fire, Survival | Tagged: can stove, cheap, cooking, Fire, food, heat, hobo stove, survival, survival stove, warmth | 1 Comment »
Posted by nwnikkie on June 13, 2011
by Bob Gillis
Use clear lake or pond ice. To practice, boil water for 10 minutes to remove gas. Create a foil container 2″ deep and freeze slowly. Or buy a clear block of ice. To make fire, the ice must be clear.
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Posted in Fire | Tagged: Fire, FireStarter, heat, ice | Leave a Comment »
Posted by nwnikkie on June 13, 2011
The importance of fire during an emergency or survival situation cannot be overstated. It can be used for cooking, providing warmth, purifying water, signaling your location, sterilizing cooking or medical utensils, providing light to read by, drying wet clothing, or just serving as a source of comfort.
We all know how important fire is, and much has written about many ways to make fire using primitive methods, including using chocolate and a soda can. Personally, I’m not nearly as concerned about TEOTWAWKI as I am about more mundane emergency situations. You know, things like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, chemical spills, or even snow and ice storms. Maybe even getting stuck in your car in a remote location. Odds are you will suffer from one of these rather than being caught up in a massive governmental collapse type of event.
As anyone that has tried to light a fire outdoors can tell you, it can be tricky. Even if the best of tinder and wood it can take multiple matches and a lot of time to really get a fire going. Add in some wind or less than ideal materials and it can be downright frustrating.
Even if you’re using a lighter or matches, as opposed to more difficult methods, there are a lot of things you can do to make it easier. If you are relying on sparks or focused sunlight or friction to start a fire, these tips can make all the difference.
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Posted in Fire, Survival | Tagged: alcohol swabs, bug sprey, Chapstick, cooking, emergency, Fire, FireStarter, heat, survival, tips, vaseline | Leave a Comment »
(This is taken from the US Army Survival Manual; I have no external link to it. If you would like a copy of the manual, please contact me via commenting below and I will send you an electronic copy by email.)
