Fire

Fire
Fire is one of the most important things one can have in a survival situation. From warmth to cooking, it is a must when you are building a bugout bag, preparing to shelter in place, or simply when you are camping. Whatever your goal is, always always make sure you have fire on hand.

Fire Starters
There are plenty of firestarters and firestarting material you can choose from. Some are listed here:
 * Ferro Rods
 * Stormproof Matches
 * Magnesium Rods
 * Lighters
 * Firestarter Cubes
 * Firestarter Logs
 * Dried Tinder (Sealed in a bag)

My recommendation is to carry a Ferro Rod, a Magnesium Rod, and two mini Firestarter Logs in your bugout bag, along with as many lighters as you can carry. Stormproof matches are a must if you are in a location where it frequently rains. I recommend putting lighters and match material into a baggie or medicine bottle to preserve dryness.

When you have Nothing
If you are on your own, with nothing to your name but your wits and your curses, firestarting can be a serious challenge. So what do you do?

Find a stick and a dried piece of flat wood or bark. Collect dried tinder (pine needles, tumbleweed, dead grass, fallen leaves, etc) and place around and on the flat wood or bark. Take the stick and place it on the bark perpendicularly, and between the palms of your hands, rub it quickly. You are trying to generate heat through friction that will light the tinder around the wood. You must twist the stick swiftly to generate this heat, and it can be a challenge. However, if you manage to produce enough heat that you light a small fire within the tinder, blow on it gently to encourage it, and then place sticks or firewood on top of the fire. Nurture the fire.

With a Ferro Rod
Collect dried tinder into a pile. Strike the ferro rod on the tinder. What you are doing is shaving off pieces of the rod that oxidize in the air, thus sparking, which will ignite the tinder and hopefully produce a bigger fire.

With a Magnesium Rod
Shave off some of the magnesium onto your tinder pile. Then, as you would a ferro rod, strike the flint piece of the magnesium bar to spark onto the magnesium. Magnesium burns at a high temperature and very rapidly, and you are hoping the flash will ignite your tinder.

Fire Safety
Always be sure to be safe with your fire in a survival situation. The last thing you want to do is start a forest fire. For starters, it could kill you and others. It will also give away your position, supposing you are trying to stay low, from the smoke. When starting a fire, follow these steps:


 * 1) Clear flat ground of debris, sticks, rocks, and dirt.
 * 2) Create a ring of fireproof or fire retardant materials such as stone
 * 3) Gather tinder in the middle of the ring
 * 4) Light fire there.

Never leave your fire unattended. If you have a fire blanket, keep it handy in case you need to put the flames out in a hurry, or if the flames get out of hand.

If you are surrounded by a wildfire, clear a patch of ground in a ring around you of all flammable debris as quickly as you can. Then, if you have a fire blanket, get beneath the blanket in the center of the ring and wait for the flames to pass you. If you have a shovel, dig.

Fire Drawbacks
Keep in mind that the smoke and light from your fire will likely attract curious animals and other humans. Be careful when using fire. There are things like canned heat that you can use if you are trying to lay low. Hand warmers are also a good thing to keep in your bugout bag. There is, also, the risk of forest fire and wildfire, as stated previously, so always be sure that fire is what you need. You will need it, but the when matters.