Re: Camporee Fire building/food cooking station
brian joseph harrison (bjharri@UAKRON.EDU)
Thu, 17 Oct 1996 11:55:26 -0400
Dear Mr. Kerns,
One of the more successful firebuilding stations that I have seen was run
last year at my District's Spring Camporee. As the patrol approached the
station, the Person in Charge (PIC) asked to see the PLs only. The PIC
then explained what would take place to the PLs ONLY. It was then the job
of the PL to explain to the rest of the boys what would happen. The task
that the patrol had to accomplish involved building a fire that would
MAINTAIN flames at least 3ft high from the ground once is was lit. Once
the fire was started, no more wood could be added. The fire could not be
taller than 1ft from the ground. The patrol was graded on the leadership
skills that the PL displayed, organization, whether the flames MAINTAINED
3ft, the safety procedures they followed (10ft cleared, fire ring built,
etc.), and patrol spirit (uninforms, patrol flag, and esprit de corps).
The patrol was NOT graded on how long it took them to accomplish this task
as long as it took them less than 20 minutes from the time the PIC
finished talking to the PL to the time that the flames were measured.
Twenty minutes may seen like a lot of time, but the PL has to devise and
explain his plain, all the wood has to be gathered (not from your pockets
or that ultra dry wood you brought with you), and the fire has to be given
time to MAINTAIN those 3ft flames. The last part of this may take a bit
longer than you might think.
NOTES FOR PIC
1. The fires that are usually built for the string burn are generally not
that effective in this competition -- but don't tell the boys that.
2. Make sure that the boys scatter the remains of their fire so that the
next set of patrols do not have an advantage.
3. Watch the PL; he should be the only one leading.
4. Points can be deducted for the following: improper extinguishing, using
more than two matches, using any type of firestarter, having more than
one person leading, not maintaining 3ft flames, violating any safety
procedure, or taking longer than 20 minutes.
5. Bonus points can be given for starting the fire without matches, doing
a patrol yell as the boys arrive (they should already have their flag with
them), or anything that otherwise impresses you.
6. Have the PL tell you when he wants the flames measured.
7. This event was done near a creek so that there was a source of water
near to the fires and there were also rocks for the fire ring. If you are
going to do this by a water downspout, you may want to conveinently scatter
a few suitable rocks in the area.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your camporee. If you have any
questions, please e-mail me at bjharri@uakron.edu. Also, please tell me
how this event worked out for you if you decide to use this idea.
Yours in the Spirit of BP,
Brian Harrison
Eagle Class of 1996
Troop 33
Columbus, Ohio
Scioto Valley District
Simon Kenton Council
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