Luray Volunteer Fire Department

1 Firehouse Lane Luray, VA 22835 Phone: (540) 743-5585 Fax: 540-843-0991 About Us History Tribute Members In Memory Fallen In The Line Of Duty Gallery Fire Safety Children Auxiliary Events Calendar Statistics News Links Home

Remember Safety When Camping

Camping is fun! The campfire is a wonderful tool to us when carefully used. It will keep us warm, cook our food, dry our clothes, and add a friendly glow to the night. Most people are careful with campfires. They follow the laws. They build their fires in the right places and at the right times, keep them small, and put them out before they leave. An unattended campfire or sparks from too large a fire can cause an entire forest to burn. These fires are preventable. These fires have cost Minnesotans nearly a million dollars over the last decade But what can we do about it? 1. Learn how to properly build and extinguish a campfire. 2. Learn the hazards in environment. 3. Learn how to reduce and minimize them. 4. Learn how to react properly when things go wrong TAKE A PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY Start by making a commitment to being aware of your surroundings and setting a good example. This will help you and others change unsafe behaviors you may not even be know you have. Prevention Keeping it clean: · Keep camping areas clean. Scrape away brush and any burnable material in a 10-foot wide circle. This will keep a small campfire from spreading. · Pile wood away from the fire. · Build campfires away from overhanging branches, steep slopes, rotten stumps or logs, dry grass and leaves. Building your fire: · Teach children to stay a safe distance, use caution, and never play with the fire. · Never leave the fire unattended. · Start with dry twigs and small sticks and add larger sticks as the fire builds up. · Put largest pieces of wood on last - be careful not to make a sudden shower of sparks. · Wear tight fitting clothing, and don’t reach across the campfire. Extinguishing your fire · Drown the fire with water. Make sure all embers, coals, and sticks are wet. Move rocks---there may be burning embers underneath. · Stir the remains, add more water, and stir again. Be sure all burned material has been extinguished and cooled. · If you do not have water, use dirt. Mix enough soil or sand with the embers. Continue adding and stirring until all material is cooled. When things go wrong: · Remain calm. · Make a reasonable attempt to extinguish without endangering yourself or others. · Call 911 from cell phone or nearest land line. · Keep in contact with authorities to help them with exact location and other details. Burning of debris… · Check local laws on burning. Some communities allow burning only during specified hours. Others forbid it entirely. · Check the weather; don't burn on dry, windy days. · Consider the alternatives to burning. Some types of debris--such as leaves, grass, and stubble--may be of more value if used for compost.