Campers, keep our dry forests safe, please

Inspiring natural beauty. Focused family time. Unwinding unplugged.

Few activities offer better bonding opportunities than a camping trip. Yet dry conditions, warm temperatures, and a moment’s lapse can lead to raging fire — the leading cause of camping-related injuries in children, and a primary catalyst for catastrophic forest fires.

So if you go camping, remember these tips from federal and state agencies:

Plan it well:

Before starting campfires, verify they’re allowed at that location, and select it carefully. A safe burning site is far away from power lines, overhanging limbs, buildings, automobiles, equipment, rotten stumps, shrubs, dry grass and leaves. The fire should have a vertical clearance at least three times the height of the pile, as heat extends far past visible flames.

Check the weather forecast. Sudden gusts of wind could spark a wildfire.

The ground around the burn site should be surrounded by gravel or dirt for at least 10 feet in all directions. Keep the surrounding area watered down.

Keep the fire in a contained unit such as a burn barrel, barbecue unit, or small pit with rocks around it. Building a fire directly on the ground can allow the fire to spread underground through root systems or decaying material.

Safely start and manage the fire:

When building a fire, start with dry twigs and small sticks. Add larger sticks as the fire builds. Place the largest pieces of wood last, pointing them toward the center of the fire, and gradually push them into the flames.

Never use flammable liquids to ignite or keep fire burning. Avoid gasoline, diesel fuel, lighter fluid and other dangerous fuels.

After lighting, don’t discard the match until it’s cold. Douse it with water to be sure.

Keep campfires small.

Stack extra firewood upwind, away from the fire.

Keep plenty of water nearby and have a shovel for throwing sand on the fire if it gets out of control.

Never leave a campfire unattended. Even a small breeze could quickly spread it.

Protect kids:

Never allow children or pets near the fire and do not leave them unsupervised.

Teach kids how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire.

Have a fire extinguisher on hand for emergencies and teach children how to use it.

Put it out right:

Drown fire with water (or dirt, if water’s unavailable), ensuring all embers, coals, and sticks are wet. Add soil and sand, stirring until everything is cooled. Don’t simply bury coals; they can smolder and start to burn again.

And please remember fireworks are NEVER allowed on public lands.

For more fire and camping safety tips see Fs.fed.us.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.