• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Scouter Mom

A resource Scouts and Scouting

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on E-mail
  • Home
  • Cub Scouts
    • Bobcat
    • Lions
    • Tigers
    • Wolves
    • Bears
    • Webelos and Arrow of Light
    • Other Cub Scout Awards
    • Cub Scout Pack Committee
  • Scouts BSA (Boy Scouts)
    • Scout Rank
    • Tenderfoot
    • Second Class
    • First Class
    • Star
    • Life
    • Eagle Scout
    • Eagle Palms
    • Merit Badges
    • Scouts BSA Nova Awards
    • Other Scouts BSA Awards
    • Youth Leadership
    • Troop Committee
  • Venturers
    • Venturing Award
    • Discovery Award
    • Pathfinder Award
    • Summit Award
    • Venturing Ranger Award
    • Quest Award
    • TRUST Award
    • Venturing Nova Awards
    • Other Venturing Awards
  • Ideas
    • Ceremonies
    • Crafts
    • Games
    • Gathering Activities
    • Team Building Activities
    • Cheers, Run Ons, and Audience Participation
    • Prayers and Graces
    • Projects and Tools
    • Scoutmaster and Cubmaster Minutes
    • Recipes
    • Songs
    • Skits
    • Puzzles and Printables
    • Stories
    • Magic Tricks and Stunts
    • Humor
  • Program Themes
    • Cub Scout Themes
    • Scouts BSA (Boy Scout) Themes
    • Program Ideas by Holidays both Serious and Silly
  • About
    • Contact Scouter Mom
    • Gifts for Scouts and Scouters
    • Questions and Answers from Scouters

The Science of Fire – The Fire Triangle

Leave a Comment

Knowledge of fire safety and the fire triangle is an essential outdoor skill. Scouts should understand the science of fire when camping.  Newer scouts often struggle to get a fire going.

Understanding the way fire works and what is required to start and sustain a fire not only helps them build fires. It also helps scouts know how to contain fires and put them out.

The Science of Fire – The Fire Triangle

First, you must understand that a fire requires three elements, which are known as the fire triangle:

  • fuel
  • heat
  • oxygen

Fuel

The first thing to consider in the science of fire is fuel. Fuel is the part of the fire triangle which you are burning. For a campfire, this would usually be wood. The wood has cellulose (the stuff which makes up plant cells) and some moisture.

When you are starting a fire, you are heating the wood up and getting rid of the moisture. Only after you get rid of the moisture will the wood give off burnable gasses and really start to ignite.

So drier wood is better for starting a fire. This is also why you must be extra careful when using fire in dry, drought-like conditions. In this setting a fire can start quickly and rapidly become out of control.

Heat

Heat is also an essential part of the science of fire. When a fire burns, a chemical reaction takes place and the energy stored in the chemical components of the fuel is released. But heat is also what starts that process. So basically, you need some heat to start the fire in order to burn off the moisture and to cause the carbon in the fuel to burn.

The larger your fuel, the more heat you will need to start the reaction. This is why you need to start with paper and tinder. Holding a lit match under a log will not make it catch on fire. Holding the lit match under your paper and tinder will start the ignition process.

Oxygen

Oxygen is the third part of the fire triangle and is  required for the chemical reaction. More oxygen will cause the fire to burn hotter and restricting oxygen will slow the reaction down or even stop it. This can be seen when you get a little flame going and then add a big pile of fuel on top, smothering it. The excess fuel restricted the flow of oxygen to the flame and stopped the reaction.

Gently forcing air toward a fire can help it grow. But if you blow on the fire with two much force, you blow away the flammable gasses, which also puts out the fire. The simplest example of this is blowing out a candle. Safety is always a concern when blowing oxygen on a fire also. It is better to fan it with a flat object or blow through a tube rather than putting your face close to the fire.

Since oxygen is required for the reaction, removing oxygen can be a very effective way to control fire. So if you have a campfire, it is a good idea to have a shovel and some dirt or sand nearby in addition to buckets of water. Adding dirt or sand to your fire will restrict the flow of oxygen and is a very fast way to make it smaller or extinguish it all together.

Conclusion

So understanding the science of fire and the fire triangle can help you light a campfire quickly and also know how to safely control it.

Filed Under: Scoutcraft



Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Ask Scouter Mom a question or share your ideas with others

Recent comments

  • Scouter Mom on Adventures in Science: Cub Scout Helps and Ideas: “Try it now. I fixed it up. Thanks for letting me know.” Jan 17, 08:31
  • JENN on Adventures in Science: Cub Scout Helps and Ideas: “Printable sheets are for overall Webelos check-off sheets, not for Adventures in Science” Jan 16, 20:32
  • Mary on Running with the Pack Wolf Adventure: Cub Scout Helps and Ideas: “I was trying to print Running with the Pack adventure requirements check off sheet, and it keeps coming up as…” Jan 8, 18:52
  • Dustin Tarditi on Senior Patrol Leader Description and Self Evaluation: “Even though you said that this is a sample, it’s misleading to assert rank requirements for positions of responsibility -…” Jan 6, 14:06
  • Dustin Tarditi on Patrol Leader Description and Self Evaluation: “Even though you said that this is a sample, it’s misleading to assert rank requirements for positions of responsibility -…” Jan 6, 14:05
Scouting’s Teaching EDGE (BSA Edge Method)
The latest Scouts BSA requirements for Tenderfoot and Life ranks require the Scout to use the EDGE method. This is a four step method for teaching a skill. It is sometimes called Scouting’s Teaching EDGE.
Scouts BSA Second Class Rank Helps and Documents
Second Class is the rank a Scout can earn after Tenderfoot. The requirements for Second Class continue to teach the youth to the skills needed to advance in Scouts BSA.
Scouts BSA First Class Rank Helps and Documents
First Class is the rank a Scout can earn after Second Class The requirements for First Class continue to teach the youth to the skills needed to advance in Scouts BSA.
Fur, Feathers, and Ferns Adventure: Cub Scout Helps and Ideas
Bear Cub Scouts observe wildlife and plants when they work on the Fur, Feathers, and Ferns adventure. They find out about endangered species and gardening.
Webelos First Responder Adventure: Cub Scout Helps and Ideas
First Responder is one of the Webelos Adventure Requirements. For this adventure, Webelos learn some basic first aid and emergency preparedness skills. They learn to respond to situations like choking, shock, bites and stings, cuts, cuts, burns, and more.
Book Review: Getting Started in Pinewood Derby
I recently received a copy of Getting Started in Pinewood Derby by Troy Thorne. This colorful workbook goes through all of the steps involved in building a car. My favorite thing about the book is that it is directed at Cub Scouts - who should be doing most of the work on their cars.
Black Forest Dump Cake Recipe
There are lots of different dump cake combinations out there. Chocolate and cherries is one of my favorites.
Scouts BSA Tenderfoot Rank Helps and Documents
Tenderfoot is the first rank a Scout can earn. The requirements for Tenderfoot introduce the youth to the skills he or she needs to get started in Scouts BSA.
Baloo the Builder Adventure: Cub Scout Helps and Ideas
Bear Cub Scouts make simple wooden projects while doing the Baloo the Builder adventure. They also learn about choosing the appropriate tool and tool safety.
Camp Chicken and Stuffing Recipe
LC earned his cooking merit badge at our second summer camp this past summer. Meals at this camp were served in a dining hall, but the counselor brought lots of ingredients and they cooked something every afternoon. So at about 3 or 4PM we would get invited over to the campsite to sample dishes for an afternoon snack. This one was LC's favorite.

Footer




 

Reliable Web Hosting

  • Popular
  • Discovery

This site is not sponsored or endorsed by the Boy Scouts of America. All opinions expressed belong to Scouter Mom and her readers.

© A2ZWare LLC and Scouter Mom, 2021 . Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the site author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scouter Mom with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Your purchase of items through this website helps pay the bills to keep this site running. Thank you!