Building a FireThe three stages of fuel, and the safety rules that are not optional.Practical skillsEducational reference. Check that fires are permitted before lighting one.1Check it is allowedMany areas ban fires entirely, especially in dry seasons.2Clear and containBare earth or stone, three metres clear of anything flammable.3TinderDry grass, birch bark, cotton wool. Catches from a spark.4KindlingPencil-thick dry sticks, built loosely so air can move.5FuelThicker wood, added only once the kindling burns steadily.6Extinguish completelyWater, stir, water again. Cool to the touch before leaving.FIRE NEEDS THREE THINGSFuel, heat and oxygenA failing fire is almost always short of airBuild loosely, not in a tight pileEducational reference. Never leave a fire unattended, and drown itcompletely — embers can reignite hours later.Building a Firelearnposters.com
Building a Fire — printable life skills wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Building a Fire, step by step

Educational reference. Check that fires are permitted before lighting one.

  1. Check it is allowedMany areas ban fires entirely, especially in dry seasons.
  2. Clear and containBare earth or stone, three metres clear of anything flammable.
  3. TinderDry grass, birch bark, cotton wool. Catches from a spark.
  4. KindlingPencil-thick dry sticks, built loosely so air can move.
  5. FuelThicker wood, added only once the kindling burns steadily.
  6. Extinguish completelyWater, stir, water again. Cool to the touch before leaving.

Fire needs three things

  • Fuel, heat and oxygen
  • A failing fire is almost always short of air
  • Build loosely, not in a tight pile

Educational reference. Never leave a fire unattended, and drown it completely — embers can reignite hours later.

Questions about the Building a Fire poster

What’s on the Building a Fire poster?
6 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Educational reference. Check that fires are permitted before lighting one. Check it is allowed — Many areas ban fires entirely, especially in dry seasons.; Clear and contain — Bare earth or stone, three metres clear of anything flammable.; Tinder — Dry grass, birch bark, cotton wool. Catches from a spark.; Kindling — Pencil-thick dry sticks, built loosely so air can move.; Fuel — Thicker wood, added only once the kindling burns steadily.; Extinguish completely — Water, stir, water again. Cool to the touch before leaving.. Educational reference. Never leave a fire unattended, and drown it completely — embers can reignite hours later.
Who is the Building a Fire poster for?
Building a Fire belongs to the Practical skills section rather than to a school year, because life skills is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning outdoors can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Building a Fire poster?
Tinder, kindling, fuel. Skipping a stage is why fires fail. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Building a Fire belongs on the wall where that life skills work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Building a Fire?
Six Knots, Foraging Safety and Staying Found sit alongside Building a Fire in the Practical skills section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Six KnotsForaging SafetyStaying Found
Is the Building a Fire poster free to download and print?
Yes. Building a Fire downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Practical skills section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Building a Fire poster print at?
Building a Fire is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Building a Fire loses nothing.Printing guide

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