COURSE DESCRIPTION

Whether adventuring in the outdoors or enjoying a book about adventuring in the outdoors, fire always comes up. In fact, it has been said that fire is directly related to every other survival priority. Not just survival, but most outdoor adventures are enhanced with safe, effective fires. It helps regulate core body temperature, boils water for purifying, cooks food, signals for rescue, makes tools, scares away the bumps in the night, and so much more. This is also one of the areas that I see most people struggle with, especially if they do not have the perfect situations and resources. There is a great deal to learn and master with fire, including basic principles about tinder, ignition tools, strategies, and techniques.

Teaching different methods of fire is, without a question, one of my favorite subjects. This 2 day series will be a culmination of over 30 years of professionally teaching pioneer, survival, primitive, boy scout, military, and every other type of fire hack. We will explore both modern and historical ways of making fire as well as looking at safety and dealing with poor fire situations. At the end of this series you will look at fire in a totally different way and will be able to achieve it with a tiny spark, sticks only, modern tools, pioneer tools, wet wood, windy weather, no wood, and more.”

Every class is slightly different based on what the mountain gives us, weather conditions, student interest and more. That being said, the core of the class stays relatively the same, it is just all the extras that get affected by different resources and times of year.

This is one of my most requested and sought after classes throughout the year. It is my absolute honor to keep the stories and skills in this class alive. Please join me in keeping them alive, and who knows, one day they may do the same for you.

COURSE TOPICS

1. Fire safety and basics
2. Pioneer and Heritage fires from around the world like flint and steel, cedar rolling, fire from bamboo sparks, trench matches, and other historical spark based fires
3. Modern fires like mastering the ferro rod, getting fire from wet wood, bullets, batteries, and other modern tools used by military, search and rescue, pilots, and seasoned outdoor professionals.
4. Primitive and indigenous skills from around the world like, bow drill, hand drill, pump drill, fire saw, cedar rolls and more.
5. Solar fire, ranging from modern to primitive; things like fire from ice cubes, convex lenses, fire from trash, parabolic fires and loads of other improvised ways to use the sun for fire.
6. Using fire as a tool and using fire to make other tools.
7. Cooking, baking, and preserving food with fire
8. Using fire with shelter and as a shelter. We look at fire lays from around the world that have been proven for centuries to make the difference in getting a good night’s sleep, preserving food, staying alive and chasing away the things that go bump in the night.

COURSE OUTCOMES AND DEMONSTRATED SKILLS

• Students will be able to identify and assess fire hazards and understand basic fire safety measures. Demonstrated Skills: Identifying fire hazards, implementing basic fire safety measures, understanding fire extinguishers and their use.
• Students will be able to start fires using traditional methods from different cultures around the world. Demonstrated Skills: Starting fires with flint and steel, cedar rolling, bamboo sparks, trench matches, and other historical spark-based fires.
• Students will be able to start fires using modern tools and techniques. Demonstrated Skills: Starting fires with ferro rods, wet wood, bullets, batteries, and other modern tools used by military, search and rescue, pilots, and seasoned outdoor professionals.
• Students will be able to start fires using primitive and indigenous techniques from around the world. Demonstrated Skills: Starting fires with bow drill, hand drill, pump drill, fire saw, cedar rolls, and more.
• Students will be able to start fires using solar energy. Demonstrated Skills: Starting fires with ice cubes, convex lenses, fire from trash, parabolic fires, and other improvised ways to use the sun for fire.
• Students will understand how to use fire as a tool and to make other tools. Demonstrated Skills: Using fire to shape and manipulate metal, wood, and other materials to create tools.
• Students will understand how to cook, bake, and preserve food with fire. Demonstrated Skills: Cooking and baking food over an open fire, using smoking and drying techniques to preserve food.
• Students will understand how to use fire in shelter construction and as a shelter. Demonstrated Skills: Building fire lays from around the world, creating and maintaining fires to provide warmth, light, and protection, and using fire to keep away predators and other nighttime threats.