MASTER FIRE
Learn the skills. Practise them. Prove what you can do.
29 Lessons | 5 Quizzes | 6 Levels
Build your fire skills from the ground up
The SGUK Fire Mastery Challenge takes you from the fundamentals of fire safety and preparation through to more advanced fire skills and a final assessment.
Work through each level in order. Each stage combines lessons, a knowledge quiz and a practical challenge, giving you the chance to learn the skill, test your understanding and then put it into practice.
You don’t need to rush. Take your time, practise the skills properly and move on when you’re ready.
Survival Beginner
Build your foundations in fire safety, preparation and basic fire knowledge.
Explorer
Learn to prepare, build, light and manage a basic fire.
Apprentice
Develop practical firecraft and learn to handle more challenging conditions.
Practitioner
Develop more advanced fire-lighting, fire-lay and cooking skills.
Expert
Explore advanced ignition methods and increasingly demanding firecraft.
Survival Master
Put everything together and demonstrate your fire skills.
Your Fire Lessons
Work through the lessons in order. Each lesson builds on the skills you learned before it, taking you from basic fire safety to advanced firecraft.
STAGE 1 — SURVIVAL BEGINNER
Lesson 1 — Fire Safety Foundations
Learn the essential safety principles you need before lighting or managing a fire.
Lesson 2 — What Is Tinder?
Learn what tinder is, why it is important for fire lighting, and what materials can be used to get a fire started.
Lesson 3 — What Is Kindling?
Learn what kindling is, how it helps a fire grow, and how to choose and prepare suitable materials.
Lesson 4 — What Is a Fire Lay?
Learn what a fire lay is, how different fire lays work, and why choosing the right layout can help you build a better fire.
Lesson 5 — Choosing a Safe Place for a Campfire
Learn how to choose a suitable location for a campfire and identify hazards before you begin.
Lesson 6 — Fire Safety Checks
Learn the important checks to complete before lighting a fire and how to make sure your fire area is properly prepared.
Lesson 7 — Building and Enjoying a Safe Campfire
Bring your beginner fire skills together and learn the fundamentals of building, managing and safely enjoying a campfire.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK
Survival Beginner Quiz
Test what you’ve learned before moving on to the Explorer stage.
FIRE STARTER CHALLENGE
Description:
Put your beginner fire skills into practice by preparing a safe fire area and showing that you understand the foundations of firecraft.
Challenge:
Identify a suitable and safe location for a campfire.
Complete your fire safety checks.
Prepare suitable tinder and kindling.
Build a basic fire lay.
Explain why your location and setup are safe.
STAGE 2 — EXPLORER
Lesson 8 — Understanding Fire Lays
Learn how different fire lays are structured, how they affect airflow and burning, and when to use them.
Lesson 9 — Teepee Fire Lay
Learn how to build a teepee fire lay and understand why its shape helps tinder and kindling catch and develop into a fire.
Lesson 10 — Tinder Bundles
Learn how to gather and prepare tinder bundles that make it easier to transfer a flame and start a fire.
Lesson 11 — Feather Sticks
Learn how to make feather sticks from dry wood and use them to create fine, easily lit material for starting a fire.
Lesson 12 — Fire Lighting With Matches
Learn how to safely use matches to light a prepared fire and develop good fire-lighting technique.
Lesson 13 — Fire Lighting With a Ferrocerium Rod
Learn how to safely use a ferrocerium rod to create sparks and ignite suitable tinder.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK
Fire Builder Challenge
Description:
Use your Explorer skills to prepare and light a controlled fire using suitable tinder, kindling and a fire-lighting method you have learned.
Challenge:
Prepare a tinder bundle or feather stick.
Build a suitable fire lay.
Light the fire using matches or a ferrocerium rod.
Maintain control of the fire as it develops.
Extinguish it safely.
STAGE 3 — APPRENTICE
Lesson 14 — Types of Fire Lay
Learn about different types of fire lay, how they are constructed, and how to choose one for different situations.
Lesson 15 — Adding Wood to a Campfire Safely
Learn how to add fuel to a campfire safely while maintaining control of the flames and avoiding unnecessary risks.
Lesson 16 — How to Control the Size of a Campfire
Learn how to control the size of a campfire by managing fuel, airflow and the arrangement of the fire.
Lesson 17 — How to Keep a Campfire Burning Evenly
Learn how to maintain an even, steady fire by managing the fuel and airflow as the fire burns.
Lesson 18 — Fire Maintenance
Develop your fire maintenance skills and learn how to keep a campfire burning safely and efficiently over time.
Lesson 19 — What to Do If You Can’t Light a Fire
Learn how to identify common problems when a fire will not light and how to safely adapt your approach.
Lesson 20 — What to Do If Your Campfire Goes Out
Learn how to safely assess an extinguished campfire and decide whether and how it can be relit.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK
Firecrafter Challenge
Description:
Demonstrate that you can confidently manage a controlled campfire rather than simply light one.
Challenge:
Build a suitable fire.
Control its size using fuel and airflow.
Add wood safely.
Keep the fire burning evenly.
Identify and deal with a problem such as the fire becoming too small or going out.
Extinguish the fire safely.
STAGE 4 — PRACTITIONER
Lesson 21 — How to Maintain a Cooking Fire
Learn how to build and maintain a steady cooking fire that provides consistent heat while remaining safe and controlled.
Lesson 22 — Campfire Roasting
Learn how to safely roast food over a campfire while controlling the heat and positioning food correctly.
Lesson 23 — Ember Cooking
Learn how to cook using hot embers and understand how to manage heat for safe and effective ember cooking.
Lesson 24 — Managing Campfire Smoke
Learn what causes campfire smoke and how to manage your fire to reduce smoke while maintaining safe and effective burning.
Lesson 25 — Ferrocerium Rod Safety
Learn how to use ferrocerium rods safely, control the sparks they produce and reduce the risk of accidental ignition.
Lesson 26 — Camp Stove Safety
Learn how to safely use a camp stove, including safe positioning, fuel handling, lighting and cooking practices.
STAGE 5 — EXPERT
Lesson 27 — Advanced Fire Lighting
Develop more advanced fire-lighting skills and learn how to choose and use different methods in practical outdoor situations.
Lesson 28 — Flint-and-Steel Fire Lighting
Learn how to use traditional flint-and-steel techniques to create sparks and safely ignite suitable tinder.
Lesson 29 — Magnifying-Glass Fire Lighting
Learn how to use sunlight and a magnifying glass to focus heat and ignite suitable tinder safely.
Lesson 30 — Fire Piston
Learn how a fire piston works and how rapid compression can create enough heat to ignite suitable tinder.
Lesson 31 — Bow Drill Fire Lighting
Learn the principles behind bow drill fire lighting and how friction can be used to produce an ember.
Lesson 32 — Fire Safety in Windy Weather
Learn how wind affects a fire and how to adapt your fire setup and safety measures in windy conditions.
Lesson 33 — Fire Safety in Hot and Dry Weather
Learn how hot and dry conditions increase fire risk and what extra precautions are needed when lighting and managing a fire.
Lesson 34 — What to Do If a Campfire Gets Out of Control
Learn how to recognise when a campfire is becoming unsafe and the immediate steps to take to protect people and the surrounding area.
Fire Expert Challenge
Description:
Demonstrate your understanding of advanced firecraft and how changing conditions can affect fire safety.
Challenge:
Demonstrate an advanced fire-lighting method you have learned.
Explain how wind can affect a fire.
Explain how hot or dry conditions can increase fire risk.
Demonstrate how you would respond if a fire became difficult to control.
Safely extinguish the fire and check the area afterwards.
STAGE 6 — SURVIVAL MASTER
You’ve reached the final stage of Fire Mastery. Now it’s time to put your knowledge into practice. Complete the quizzes and challenges to demonstrate that you can apply your fire skills safely and confidently.
Fire Master Challenge
Put your Fire Mastery skills into practice. Complete a supervised fire activity that demonstrates safe preparation, fire lighting, fire management and safe extinguishing.
Fire Master
Complete the Fire Master Challenge and have your practical proof checked to earn the Fire Master achievement.