biohazard magic fire idea?

[RichardB]

Folks please review: http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss06.aspx specific to not using chemicals / fuels to start fires at scouting events.

 

The Sweet 16 of BSA safety is a good review for the battery / steel wool use. http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/HealthandSafety/Sweet16.aspx

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

 

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmm...

 

I'm a long way from my chemistry classes, but I can't see how a chlorine oxidation of pine oil produces much chlorine gas, eh? Probably nuthin' yeh have to worry about.

 

Da bigger concern with any of this stuff to my mind is three-fold.

 

First, knowin' what you're doin'. Yeh can get all kinds of yahoo stupid Darwin Award candidates from folks who mix chemicals they don't understand. Chlorine and pinesol won't do it, but chlorine and anything with ammonia can get a lot of folks sent to the hospital.

 

Second, it's quantity. A small bit of stuff is generally fine, eh? After all, a match or a lighter is a chemical fire starter, and those small fire sticks or gels are chemical accelerants. Only difference between a match and a bucket of black powder is the quantity. So small stuff to teach survival fire starting is OK, but folks too often get a bit carried away with how big a match they're usin'.

 

Third thing is example. What example do we want to give the lads, knowin' that they'll copy anything we do on their own (and add "improvements")? I think yeh have to be mindful of that.

 

Now, I also reckon education is a fine thing, eh? Teachin' a lad how to properly and safely use lighter fluid or self-starting charcoal to light a grill seems like it's somethin' they should learn in scouting. I could even see havin' someone who does theater pyrotechnics come out and do an evening demo. . But I reckon amateur evening campfire theatrical pyrotechnics is somethin' to take great care with, or reconsider.

 

Beavah

[Scoutfish]

Wait!

 

Did you say black powder? Oh man! I didn't even think of that! Thanks for the great idea...so lets see...black powder, chlorine, Pine Sol, and steel wool hooked to a deep cycle marine battery!

 

Nah, I think people are staring to drift from my original post ( Yeah, I know - hard to imagine that huh?)

 

I was just browsing around on the web and came across the whole fire starting artivle on ( oh yeah...) scouter.com

 

And it sounded cool, but I also get the mental image of adults and scouts writhing on the ground in convulsions with frothy blood spewing from their mouths.

 

I wouldn't do it - if for no other reason - that some scouts in our pack would have breathing issues and possible asthma attacks even if everybody else didn't have any issues.