Unit Fireguard Chart Form – Fill Out and Use This PDF

Fill out and post this chart on your campsite bulletin board.

_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Troop	Troop fire warden
_______________________________________________	_______________________________________________
Camp	Troop campsite

Unit Campsite

Fire Prevention Assignments

First Day ________________________	Equipment Checked
Date
___________________________ Patrol

We will prevent fires by breaking matches in two after using.

Putting fires COLD OUT with water.

Feeling with fingers to test heat.

_________________________________________________

Dates

FLAMMABILITY WARNING

CAMPING SAFETY RULES

NO TENT MATERIAL IS FIREPROOF, AND IT CAN BURN WHEN EXPOSED TO HEAT OR FIRE. FOL- LOW THESE RULES:

•฀ Only฀ flashlights฀ and฀ battery-powered฀ lanterns฀ are฀ permitted in tents. NO FLAMES IN TENTS is a rule which must be enforced.

•฀ Chemical-fueled฀ stoves,฀ heaters,฀ lanterns,฀ lighted฀ candles, matches, or other flame sources should never be used in or near tents.

•฀ Do฀not฀pitch฀tents฀near฀open฀fire.

•฀ Do฀ not฀ use฀ flammable฀ chemicals฀ near฀ tents:฀ charcoal lighter, spray cans of paint, or bug killer and repellent.

•฀ Be฀ careful฀ when฀ using฀ electricity฀ and฀ lighting฀ in tents.

•฀ Always฀extinguish฀cooking฀and฀campfires฀properly.

•฀ Obey฀all฀fire฀laws,฀ordinances,฀and฀regulations.

•฀ Keep campers informed on a daily basis of your camp’s fire danger.

Clearing all burnable material 4 to 6 feet away from the fires or as required by local law.

In the case of Cub Scouts, they should immediately seek adult help, sound the alarm by yell- ing, “Fire!” and stay away from attempting to fight any camp fire. If adult help is not readily available, the Cub Scout should continue to sound the alarm, send a runner for help, and/or dial the camp office or 911.

	________________________________
	Fire Warden
	Second Day ______________________	Equipment
	Date		Checked
	___________________________ Patrol
	________________________________
	Fire Warden
	Third Day ________________________	Equipment
	Date		Checked
	___________________________ Patrol
	________________________________
	Fire Warden
	Fourth Day _______________________	Equipment
	Date		Checked
	___________________________ Patrol
	________________________________
	Fire Warden
	Fifth Day ________________________	Equipment
	Date		Checked
	___________________________ Patrol
	________________________________

VARIOUS TYPES OF FIRE DANGER SIGNS IN CAMP

	Fire Warden
	Sixth Day ________________________	Equipment
	Date		Checked
	___________________________ Patrol
	________________________________
	Fire Warden
	Seventh Day _____________________	Equipment
	Date		Checked
	___________________________ Patrol
	________________________________
	Fire Warden

SOUND ALARM

DROP฀TENTS฀(CANVAS฀ONLY)฀IF฀NECESSARY฀

AND SAFE TO DO SO

IN CASE OF FIRE

REPORTING AND ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

At some camps local changes are made in these suggested pro- cedures. All exceptions, however, should be made on the recom- mendation and with the approval of local fire authorities.

IN A UNIT CAMPSITE

1.Sound the alarm by yelling “Fire!” and then notify the first adult you see, then report to a camp officer or the camp fire warden.

2.Extinguish a fire only if it can be done quickly and easily.

3.When the central alarm is sounded to warn the camp, quickly mobi- lize in your unit. Move to your preassigned point immediately and await directions.

4.A runner reports to the camp office for instructions from the camp fire warden.

5.In the event of a tent fire, you can douse it with water or sand, or sim- ply stand back and let professionals fight the fire.

OUTSIDE UNIT CAMPSITE

1.If you discover a fire anywhere in camp, report immediately to the camp office so the alarm may be sounded and fire authorities notified.

2.Camp fire warden sounds the central alarm, and your unit follows steps 3 and 4 above.

3.Remember: Campers should not be directly involved in the fire fighting process except for fires that can be quickly and easily extinguished.

In case of a fire in our campsite, we will notify ____________________

and follow the instructions of our unit fire warden.	Camp fire warden

Because serious accidents can happen in connection with the use of liquid fuel, propane, butane, etc., in lanterns and stoves and as a result of igniting fires with liquid starters, adult supervision is required when chemical fuels are being used for lighting and cooking. Local councils have the option of restrict- ing the use of chemical-fueled stoves, lanterns, and heaters in campsites under their jurisdiction.

•฀ Knowledgeable adult supervision must be provided when Scouts are involved in the storing, handling, and filling of stoves or lanterns or the lighting of chemical fuels.

•฀ Battery-operated lanterns and flashlights should be used by Scouts in camping activities, particularly in and around all tentage. No chemical-fueled lantern, stove, or heater is to be used inside a tent.

•฀ Kerosene, gasoline, or liquefied petroleum-fuel lanterns

may, when permitted, be used inside permanent buildings or for outdoor lighting. When used indoors, there must be adequate ventilation. Strict adherence to the safety standards and the instructions of the manufacturers in fueling and lighting such stoves and lanterns must be carried out under the direct supervision of a responsible and knowledgeable adult.

•฀ Empty liquid-petroleum cylinders for portable stoves and lanterns should be returned home or to base camp. They can explode when heated; therefore, they must never be put in fireplaces or with burnable trash.

•฀ The use of liquid fuels for starting any type of fire is prohibited. This includes damp wood, charcoal, and cer-

DOUBLE-WALL

CONSTRUCTION IS

TYPICALLY USED.

SELF-CLOSING

DOOR

MECHANISM

emonial campfires. Solid-type starters are just as effective, are easier to store and carry, and are much safer to use for this purpose.

•฀ Space heaters that use chemical fuels consume oxygen and must be used only in well-ventilated areas. Using space heaters in poorly ventilated cabins, camper trucks, and recreation vehicles can cause fires and asphyxiation. The use of charcoal burners indoors can be lethal in caus- ing carbon monoxide poisoning.

Bulk Storage and Practices

Storage of liquid fuel and other flammables is a camp main- tenance function. Filling tanks for motors, vehicles, and motor- boats should always be handled by someone qualified by age and training for this responsibility. Similar responsible handling and control are prescribed for the limited use of kerosene. Use kerosene only for outside night lights and stationary heating stoves (not portable). Both gasoline and kerosene should be kept in well-marked safety cans and stored in ventilated locked boxes located away from buildings and tents. Large quantities of gasoline should be stored in a properly installed fuel tank with pump. Keys to pumps and storage boxes or sheds should be given to one adult (primarily the camp ranger), who distributes these fuels. Propane or butane storage tanks and permanent caps should be installed by experienced and knowledgeable individuals and changed only by gas distributors. These instal- lations must conform to local regulations and must be inspected regularly.

USE SAFETY CANS ONLY!

HOW YOUR UNIT FIREGUARD PLAN WORKS

DUTIES

When you arrived at camp, you were oriented and trained in the use of the unit fireguard plan. It is your responsibility as a unit leader to train your Scouts in fire prevention, fire detection, reporting, and fire control. Only implement fire control techniques that can be done quickly and easily.

Study the procedures outlined on this chart and then train your staff and youth members. Post the chart for all to see and follow. At some camps local changes are made in these suggested procedures. All exceptions, however, should be made on the written recommendation and with the approval of local fire authorities.

Organize to make the fireguard plan work by appointing capable fire wardens and deputies.

FIRE WARDENS AND DEPUTIES

As responsible Scouts appointed by their adult leader, the unit fire warden and his deputy are in charge of training, know where fire equipment is located, and are familiar with the unit fireguard chart. They instruct all unit fire wardens and Scouts in the operation of the camp fireguard plan. They conduct annual inspections of fire extinguishers and check to be sure all cooking fires, heat- ing fires, and campfires are out at night or when no one is attending or monitoring the fire during the day. Unit fire wardens and deputies conduct fire drills at least once a week and follow the direction of the camp fire warden. They receive reports related to fire hazards daily from the duty fire warden.

Every boy in the unit should feel responsible for fire prevention, but the unit fire patrol for each day must be alert and ready to evacuate and account for everyone in case of fire emergency or drill.

If a small fire breaks out, the person discovering it should take immediate action, whether or not he is on the fire patrol for the day. Time is the most important element in the sup- pression of a fire. Some examples of fire control techniques are:

•฀ Immediately฀ send฀ someone฀ to฀ seek฀ assistance,฀ send฀ a฀ runner฀for฀ help,฀ and/or฀ dial฀ the฀

camp office or 911.

•฀ Douse฀fire฀with฀water฀or฀sand.

•฀ Smother฀fire฀with฀a฀lid.

•฀ In฀ the฀ event฀ of฀ a฀ tent฀ fire฀ (canvas฀ only),฀ simply฀ kick฀ out฀ the฀ end฀ tent฀ poles฀ if฀ it฀ can฀ be฀

done safely.

LEAKPROOF SILL

LEVELING FEET

Year-Round Prevention Plan

REMEMBER: Campers should not be involved in the fire fighting process except for fires that can be quickly and easily extinguished.

In making daily inspections of the unit campsite, the unit fire warden should follow the fire-preven- tion suggestions and use the fire-fighting equipment illustrations found throughout this chart as

Will your camp be there next season? This is a good ques- tion to ask at the close of each camping season as you pack away equipment and leave. In fairness to next year’s camp- ers, do everything that can be done to ensure the safety of camp equipment and camp timber.

Fall, with its dry, dead leaves that often bank high around camp buildings is, in many sections of the country, the most dangerous fire season of the entire year. Spring is another bad time.

Here is a checklist of things to do at all times to be sure that your camp is fireproof year-round:

1.Destroy greasy rags.

2.Dispose of all combustible refuse and trash safely.

3.Be sure that doors and shutters are strong enough to keep out trespassers, vandals, or thieves.

4.Stow away firewood and loose equipment that might be used by trespassers.

5.Clear away dead grass or trees, ferns, leaves, bushes, straw piles, and trash from buildings.

6.Clean grease traps and dispose of the grease by burning it at a safe place or burying it in mineral earth.

7.Be sure the camp is ready for winter use. Check fuels, wall and floor protection around heaters, and protecting screens for fireplaces. Inspect location of fire pails, fire extinguishers, and mobile fire-fighting equipment.

8.Develop a fire prevention plan in accordance with OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.139.

SKU 33691

a guide. Campsite equipment will vary according to your camp. Results of the daily inspection should be posted on the chart in the space provided.

PATROL FIRE WARDEN

The patrol leader is responsible for training his patrol in the unit fireguard plan and leading the unit in practice evacuation and fire prevention.

He checks daily to be sure all members are preventing fires and are prepared in case a fire breaks out. He makes sure and double-checks that fires are built only on nonburnable soil in areas where they will not spread. He verifies to see that all fires are put COLD OUT and that open

flames are not permitted in or near tents. He shows patrol members how to drop tents (canvas only) in case of fire. In฀the฀event฀of฀a฀tent฀fire฀(canvas฀only),฀you฀can฀simply฀kick฀out฀the฀end฀

tent poles if it can be done safely and let professionals fight the fire.