Fire Starting

[5thGenTexan]

I just viewed a photo of camp staff demonstrating fire starting to Cub Scouts.  The staff member can be seen squirting lighter fluid into a charcoal chimney.  Wouldn't this fall under the GTSS where it says use of liquid fuels for starting any type of fire is prohibited?

[qwazse]

You're not wrong. https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/safety-moments/charcoal-safety/

It takes decades to learn how to undo a bad habit, and you just found one example as to why. That said, I started collecting some 2nd degree burns when when we were scouts and our new camp introduced charcoal fire starting with kindling, using chimneys made from #10 cans. It took a while to learn that hot-pot tongs were useful for things that weren't pots!

[MattR]

Hopefully the chimney wasn't lit.

I use a burner for a minute to start charcoal in a chimney. Much better than wads of newspaper. No flaming bits of paper floating around.

[MikeS72]

I have seen flames run right up to the spout when I scout added just a bit to an already lit fire.  Not a fun sight to see.

[mrjohns2]

45 minutes ago, MattR said:

I use a burner for a minute

? What sort of burner? Like a propane stove burner?

[5thGenTexan]

[InquisitiveScouter]

Yeah, this one is a head scratcher...GTSS forbids, but I know a recent version of the Fire Safety Merit Badge pamphlet discussed using lighter fluid for charcoal, so that is (or was) a very mixed message.    I dunno if that has been updated to reflect GTSS prohibitions....anyone have current copy of Fire Safety MB and can check it out??

[69RoadRunner]

We use charcoal chimneys. If we have a fire going, we put hot coals under the chimney. You can also tear the top of the charcoal bag off and light that under the chimney.

We've also found that for dutch oven cooking, the Matchlight type charcoal with lighter fluid in it doesn't burn as hot/long as charcoal without it, so more is needed.

Don't be Eddie Murphy's Uncle Gus with the lighter fluid.

[FireStone]

That's just lazy. Chimneys are easy to start with some newspaper, kindling, etc. They're basically designed for exactly that, starting a small fire underneath and letting that burn upwards until some coals are ignited.

And it's way more in line with scout-style fire starting to build a small kindling fire under the chimney anyway. I don't know why anyone would use fluid in a scout setting.

[5thGenTexan]

1 minute ago, FireStone said:

That's just lazy. Chimneys are easy to start with some newspaper, kindling, etc. They're basically designed for exactly that, starting a small fire underneath and letting that burn upwards until some coals are ignited.

And it's way more in line with scout-style fire starting to build a small kindling fire under the chimney anyway. I don't know why anyone would use fluid in a scout setting.

I wasnt there, I just saw that photo after they returned from camp.  So, I am not sure what they were trying to do.  When I teach fire building in my Pack, we dont even use matches.  They can use matches later, but I want them to know how to do it the other ways first.

[SSScout]

So how do we address this ?  How to email, USPS the camp, how?   Texas is a mite fer for me to travel....

Yes, the charcoal chimney works.  Newspaper, twigs, hot coals, old Cub books....

The one I use is easily 20 years old.  Self tapping screws hold it together now. 

 

[InquisitiveScouter]

14 hours ago, SSScout said:

Self tapping screws hold it together now. 

Yeah, I have one that was made with aluminum rivets...those didn't last long   The self-tappers did the trick.