My heart sinks with each of the reports dominating the airwaves about the fires all across the great State of Arizona. Sadly, the reports confirm suspicions those who were raised to be cautious with fire have, and that being “some stupid” who didn’t have time to build a proper fire pit and didn’t want to be inconvenienced to properly extinguish his fire, is the cause of burning “the place to the ground.”
I can’t count how many times we have cruised through recently vacated camp sites to find the charcoal in the fire pit still red hot and smoldering, if not still flaming. In one case last year, we found a 6’ wide fire pit with a 3’ diameter log the length of the pit placed on hot coals and abandoned. This was left by the same group that decided to leave the road to pull their 3 ton toy haulers across a flooded meadow leaving deep ruts when the whole mess buried up to the floor boards of truck and trailer. (Like anyone with even the smallest amount of common sense wouldn’t of seen that happening.) What amazed me was the fact that about a million dollars in trucks, trailers and other toys gave indication that these folks weren’t necessarily dim witted. That just leaves one explanation. They thought of themselves as too important to take the time to follow the rules. Sadly, their attitude affects the landscape that would have otherwise been enjoyed by folks for generations were it not for their 6 hours of stupidity robbing everyone else of that pleasure.
So, here are some tips that have been handed down through the generations that have been quite successful in preventing damage to our wonderful state.
1. Love the land. Every resource we enjoy comes from it and wise use is imperative to our longevity of comfort and enjoyment.
2. Stay on the road. Just because you have an “off road” vehicle doesn’t mean you have permission to go off the road. Yes you have the “right” to own it but with all rights come the “responsibility” to use it in the right place and time.
3. Think about the fact that your kids are watching you. The fact that you brought them out here means you want to pass the experience along. Not following good common sense will insure what great scenery you show them today, won’t be here tomorrow.
4. Tread lightly on the ground. Arizona seems like a tough place but the land is very fragile as we see clearly once it is destroyed. (Dude, Rodeo Chediski, Wallow, Horseshoe and unfortunately, the list will go on.)
5. Look where you are building your fire pit. Make sure you clear the area several feet out from the fire pit of any combustible material. This would include your wood supply. Numerous fires have gotten out of hand when the wood supply caught a hot ember and flamed up. Make sure you are building your fire pit far enough away from trees and other combustibles so that there is no chance of igniting them. Some have suggested using fire rings created by others and this may be a good idea in an established camp ground but if you are out in the “wilds” make sure the pit was placed correctly by a person with experience and not some city slicker tenderfoot who didn’t know his rear from a hole in the ground. If you see a fire pit in a bad location, tear it down and cover the hole to look as much like the rest of the landscape so no one else will be tempted to use it again.
6. Dig a hole for your fire pit and line it with rocks around the rim. Keep the dirt from the hole piled up so that once the fire is extinguished you can bury the whole thing like it was before you arrived. Bringing something to act as a wind dam is also a good idea. This serves two purposes. The first is to keep the hot embers from blowing out of the fire pit and the second is for those who like to cook on the camp fire. The wind dam will make it a whole lot more comfortable for this task, keeping the smoke and embers from blowing into your food and face.
7. Never leave a fire unattended even for a few minutes. In this dry climate, a fire can get out of hand in mere seconds.
8. Keep at a minimum, 5 gallons of water to completely extinguish your camp fire. 5 gallons is simply a rule of thumb. If your fire pit is larger than 3 feet across, you will need more water. Keep a shovel handy so that after you pour two gallons into the fire pit, you can stir the water down into the pit where the coals are still burning. If you don’t take this step, the water on top will boil away leaving the hot coals burning underneath and reigniting the coals that are now dry on top, again creating a fire hazard. Once you have stirred in the first two gallons or so, add the rest of the water to the pit and stir it in again. Remember how deep your pit was dug and make sure you have stirred the water down to that level.
9. Police the area one more time just before pulling out to make sure you are leaving nothing behind that would not be there naturally. (Pack it in. Pack it out.) Numerous fires have been started by tin cans, bottles and other trash concentrating the sun’s rays like a solar oven or magnifying glass, as well as spontaneous combustion of the other types of trash.
Remember that the one time you don’t take the 30 minutes to an hour of your time to insure the safety of the land can and has resulted in decades of scorched earth viewing for the rest of us. Please be careful and responsible.
Hercel Spears is a 3rd generation Arizonan raising a 4th. His outdoor experience includes cowboying on the 3 J Ranch in Southeastern OK as well as the Nada Ranch here in AZ. He is an expert in desert survival, avid outdoorsman, hunter, as well as cowboy poet and writer of western culture. He currently resides in Tempe, AZ.
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