30-Minute Activity Plan: Fire Safety Decision Challenge

Activity Overview

This activity teaches young people to recognise when a fire is becoming unsafe and make sensible decisions before a situation becomes an emergency.

Rather than lighting a fire, the group works through realistic scenarios and decides what they would do.

It’s a useful activity for a meeting where there isn’t time, permission or suitable conditions for a real fire.

Before You Start

Prepare several short fire-safety scenarios.

The scenarios should involve decision-making rather than asking young people to demonstrate dangerous actions.

Examples include:

A strong wind has started.

Sparks are leaving the fire area.

Someone has left the fire unattended.

The fire has become larger than intended.

A member of the group wants to add more fuel.

The fire needs to be extinguished before everyone leaves.

0–5 Minutes: Set the Scene

Bring the group together and explain that they are going to be the people responsible for making decisions around a fictional campfire.

Tell them:

“Your job isn’t to keep the fire burning. Your job is to keep everyone safe.”

Explain that there may be several sensible answers.

The important thing is being able to explain the decision.

5–15 Minutes: What Would You Do?

Divide the group into small teams.

Give each team a scenario.

For example:

“The wind has suddenly become much stronger and sparks are being carried away from the fire.”

Ask:

What would you do?

What would you do first?

When would you decide to extinguish the fire?

Give teams a few minutes to discuss their response.

Then ask each team to explain their reasoning.

15–20 Minutes: Spot the Hazard

Read out a series of statements.

The teams need to decide whether each situation is safe, needs attention or means the fire should be extinguished.

For example:

“The fire is small and contained, and someone responsible is supervising it.”

“Dry grass is close to the fire.”

“The wind has changed direction.”

“Someone wants to pour lighter fuel onto the fire.”

“Everyone is leaving the campsite.”

Encourage discussion rather than simply looking for a yes-or-no answer.

20–25 Minutes: The Fire Gets Out of Control

Give the teams a final scenario:

“A fire has spread beyond the intended fire area. People are nearby and smoke is blowing across the group.”

Ask them to decide what should happen.

The important message is that people come before the fire.

The group should move away from danger and raise the alarm or contact the emergency services where appropriate.

Young people should not be encouraged to take unnecessary risks trying to control a spreading fire.

25–30 Minutes: The Three Questions

Finish by giving the group three questions they can use whenever they’re around a fire:

Is it permitted?

Can we control it?

Can we safely put it out?

Ask the group to explain why each question matters.

If the answer to any of them is no, the fire should not be started or should be extinguished as appropriate.

Make It Easier

For younger Scouts, use simple scenarios.

Ask:

“Is this safe?”

“What could go wrong?”

“What should we do?”

Use pictures or demonstrations by the leader rather than expecting young people to understand complicated fire behaviour.

Make It Harder

For Explorers, introduce several problems at once.

For example:

“It’s getting dark, the wind has increased, your group is tired and the fire has become larger than planned. What do you do?”

Ask them to prioritise their actions.

You can also ask them to create their own fire-safety scenario for another team to solve.

Safety

This activity does not require a real fire.

Do not deliberately create unsafe fire situations as part of the exercise.

If you later use the activity as preparation for a real fire session, ensure that the fire activity itself has appropriate permission, supervision, risk assessment, equipment and emergency arrangements.

Follow current Scouts safety guidance and local site rules.

Never use petrol, lighter fuel or other accelerants in a fire activity.

Leader Notes

The purpose of this activity is to develop judgement, not fire-lighting ability.

Young people sometimes think that being good at outdoor skills means being able to keep a fire burning.

The better lesson is knowing when not to light one and when to put one out.

Ask:

“What would make you stop?”

That question can reveal much more than asking whether something is simply safe or unsafe.

Learning Outcomes

Young people have opportunities to develop:

Risk awareness

Decision-making

Fire safety knowledge

Communication

Problem-solving

Responsibility

Emergency awareness

Extension Activity

Ask teams to create a simple fire-safety checklist for a future campfire.

They should decide what needs to be checked:

Before lighting.

While the fire is burning.

Before leaving.

Compare the lists and discuss which points are most important.

Final Thought for Leaders

Fire safety is ultimately about judgement.

A young person who knows when to stop, when to ask for help and when a fire should be extinguished has learned a much more valuable skill than someone who simply knows how to make flames.

LEADER TIP

Teach young people that stopping is a skill.

The safest decision isn’t always to find a way to continue.

Sometimes the best decision is to put the fire out and walk away.