This document provides information on building and maintaining safe campfires. It discusses choosing a safe location away from wind and flammable materials. Proper campfire construction involves using tinder, kindling and larger kindling to start the fire safely. There are different types of campfire structures including mound fires, fire rings, and pan fires. Safety tips are provided such as fully dousing the fire with water and stirring until completely out before leaving. Steps for properly building a campfire are also outlined.

1. Unit 3- Lesson 6
Fires
By: Kathleen Parsons
HKR 3220

2. • A campfire is an open-air fire, used for cooking
and as a focal point for social activity.
• Campfires are very fun but first you need to
learn how to make one properly and how to
keep it safe while having a campfire.
• There are different types of campfires you can
have.

3. Safety Tips
• Fires should be located in an area that
provides shelter from the wind and also
presents no risk that the fire will expand
beyond the designated area.
• Ideal locations include durable surfaces (bare
rock or mineral soil) free of plant debris.

4. What you need
• Tinder
• Kindling
• Fire starter of choice (examples, old man’s
beard)
• Bigger pieces of wood when the fire catches

5. Different Types of Fire
• Mound Fire
• Fire Ring
• Pan Fire

6. Mound Fire
• A mound fire is a simple way to construct an ethical
fire with little effort, provided that the needed
materials are at hand.
• A mound fire is a pile of mineral soil that separates
the heat from a fire pan from the ground, preventing
unsightly scarring.

7. Fire Ring
• A ring fire is an example of an established
campsite.

8. Pan Fire
• In highly durable areas where there are
exposed rocks or site conditions that can
support a group, a fire may be easily made in
a fire pan.

9. How to Safely Put out a Fire
• It is very important that you put out a fire because old roots in
the soil can ignite and burn under ground for quite some time
after campers leave
Steps:
1. Slowly douse the fire with water.
2. Stir the ashes around.
3. Continue putting water on to the fire and
stirring it around until the fire is completely put
out.

10. How to Build a Fire Step One

11. How to Build a Fire Step Two

12. How to Build a Fire Three

13. References
Redmond, K., Foran, A., & Dwyer, S. (2010). Quality lesson plans
for outdoor education. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.