Effective December 15, 2010, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife changed their guidelines for distance learning. Students are now required to spend a minimum amount of time on each course page before proceeding to the certification exam.

Click here to go to the latest version of the Today's Hunter in Washington online course—the official hunter education course of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Go to the new Washington course

The following course material is for reference only. Please go to the new course to complete your Washington certification.

9.9 Know How to Build a Fire

If you are alone, lost, or in a survival situation, fire is really man’s best friend. A fire can keep you warm, and you can use it to signal for help. A good fire also will help keep you calm, allow you to cook, and keep you busy as you wait for help to arrive!

To start a fire, you will need three things:

A source of heat to start a fire.
Tinder and kindling to get the fire going.
Fuel to keep the fire burning. In your survival kit, you should have at least one ready source of heat (either waterproof matches or a disposable lighter) and some type of fire starter. You will need to find kindling and fuel to build the fire. You should find these items before you start to make your fire!

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Official hunting safety course for Washington hunters last modified: October 29, 2010
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Questions? Call Today's Hunter at 1-800-830-2268

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