
~From: Kevin
~æSubject: More Fire Hazards
~æDate: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 19:50:20 +0000

Having just read the 'Fire Hazards' thread, I can't
tell you just how important they are - read every word!

A few years ago, during a Chief Scouts Challenge hike
along Hadrians Wall in Northumberland, England, we had an
unfortunte inncident, when one of lesser experienced of us
changed a Camping Gaz cylinder next to another stove.
The explosion threw him back into the tent, and inginited
the tent fabric!  The fabric melted like plastic, and
only missed him by a few inches!  He was only slightly
injured (though he had to go to hospitol), but the 100
tent was destroyed.

Since then our scouts have been trained to change a gas cylinder
And, as some of the older scouts can remember how white our
faces were when we returned from the fire scene, they know that if
they don't know how to change a cylinder they should leave it to
a leader who does.

So read the Fire Hazards thread - or it could be your life, or, 
maybe even worse, the life of one of the people under your responsibility.

Yours in Scouting
-- 
Kevin 'Randlay Rebel' Wright



Article #R87.
=============

Fire Hazards
Gerry 
The Leader, June/July 1984


A True Story

A few years ago, a young Scout was building a cooking fire. He decided
to help his cause somewhat by adding a little naphtha. The fire
ignited. He decided to add a little more, to get the fire really
established.

The gas exploded. The Scout suffered second and third degree burns to
his hands, arms, face and chest. Badly injured and in shock, he spent
a few critical days in hospital. He needed two skin grafts and a long
period of recovery.

This accident happened despite warnings from the adult leaders that
using white gas to start a fire was a dangerous practice.

Fire hazards are no joke. We have a tendency to believe accidents will
never happen in our camp. Until, that is, we experience a tragedy like
the one described.

All leaders want their camping experiences to be safe and successful.
The leaders in charge in this case felt the same way. I'm sure they
looked long and hard at their experience and took steps to assure it
wouldn't happen again.

One thing is certain. Words are not enough. The only effective way to
limit the chances of similar tragedies is to build regular safety
practices into your camp routines. There are a number of situations
where an ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure.


Firelighting

Any Scout can take pride in mastering the art of laying and lighting a
good fire. start small and dry, use one match and, slowly, build up to
the size you need.

Never use naphtha or white gas to start a fire. Naphtha vaporizes very
quickly. When the vapours mix with air, the situation is explosive.
The boy in our true story already had started the fire. It heated the
added gas and sent explosive fumes towards him. The flames ignited the
gas.

There are times when Scouters want to use a gimmick to light a
campfire in a special way. If you do use fuel, I suggest a rag soaked
with a bit of kerosene. Although kerosene vaporizes much more slowly
than other gas fuels, take care and make sure participants stand well
clear.


Tent Warmer

We all hate to crawl into a damp tent and sleeping bag at night. For
some people, the answer is to take a lit lantern into the tent with
them. Some people are pretty foolish. Even when everyone is warm and
alert, it's very easy to knock over a lantern in a tent. Most of us
know that a two-man tent can melt or burn to ashes in 15 to 30
seconds. That's not enough time to think, let alone get out of your
bag, find the door, unzip and get out.

When the weather is damp, roll up your sleeping bag to keep it dry.
Your body will warm it quickly once you crawl into it and you won't
notice the damp air in your tent. If you feel a nip at your ears, put
on a hat.

If it's absolutely necessary to warm up your tent and bag, place the
lit lantern securely on a platform on the floor of the tent, and then
get out. Remove it from a two-man tent after two or three minutes, put
it out, crawl into the tent and let the sleeping bag do the rest.


Stoves and Fuel

You can't work a stove without fuel, but we often choose the darndest
times and places to put fuel into the beast. Before you fuel, make
sure the stove is out and cool. Never refuel when a stove is still
hot.

Fill up away from any open flame or lit stove. Use a funnel to avoid
spilling fuel.

Keep fuel cartridges away from heat, especially the spent one you've
just removed. Empty cartridges always contain a residue. Fumes may
escape, vaporize and ignite if there is a flame nearby.

Despite taking the best precautions when installing a new cartridge,
it's possible to break the seal accidently and release gas under
pressure. A nearby flame will ignite the quickly vaporizing fuel with
explosive results.

Keep the size of the pot on a single burner stove to 30 cm (12")
diameter or less. Particularly when you've sheltered the stove from
wind, larger pots may trap the stove heat so that it warms the
controls and the fuel container. If you touch hot controls, you may
tip the stove and cause a fire. If the heat builds up too high,
pressure in the fuel container may spray out fuel through the safety
valve or, even worse, blow off the bottom of the fuel container.


An Ounce of Prevention

Work these safety practices into your camping routine.

1. Keep camp fuel in safe leak-free containers and store in a safe
location away from tents, brush, cooking or firepit areas. Keep proper
funnels available.

2. Make it a camp rule to fill stoves only at the fuel depot, and only
if you can pick up the stove by the burner plate.

3. Train all your campers to light a fire and a stove properly. Make
it a rule that campers will not be allowed to light a fire or stove
without having demonstrated the ability and responsibility to do so
safely.

4. Provide general supervision at all times. You can do this by
working directly with inexperienced campers or by giving each camper a
watchdog role. Based on your judgment, you might give patrol leaders,
company executives or experienced boys and girls specific supervisory
responsibilities.

5. Forbid cooking inside or beside tents. Allow no lanterns into tents
to warm them unless absolutely necessary, and only when there's no one
inside and an adult who is a competent camper handles the task.

6. Make it a specific expectation of all your campers that they will
never use gas fuels to light fires. The only exception may be for a
well planned campfire-lighting ceremony using kerosene only.

7. Know how to treat burns and extinguish fires. Have a useful first
aid kit available in case an accident does occur.

By taking these precautions, you can keep the risks associated with
fires and fuels at a minimum. It's the best way to ensure stories like
the one that opened this piece will no longer be told.
