The Firem'n Chit shows you know how to build and manage fires safely and responsibly. It's a trust card that lets you carry fire-starting tools and build campfires. Good fire skills keep your group warm, fed, and safe while protecting the outdoors.
Why it's worth it
A good campfire cooks dinner, dries wet socks, and gathers your patrol at the end of the day. A careless one can burn a forest. The Firem'n Chit shows adults you know the difference: when to light a fire, how to keep it small and watched, and how to make sure it's truly out. With it you can carry fire-starting tools and build fires at Scouting events.
Start this week
- Read the fire safety rules in your handbook and mark any you're not sure about.
- With a parent, look up the fire danger or burn ban status for a place your troop camps.
- Ask your patrol leader to show you how to set up a fire site with water and a shovel ready before lighting.
- Find out when the next Firem'n Chit session is on the troop calendar.
Stay safe
- Build and light fires only with adult supervision and only where fires are allowed.
- Never use gasoline or other liquid fuel to start or boost a campfire.
- Tie back long hair, keep loose clothing away from flames, and keep water ready the whole time the fire is burning.
Requirements · 8
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
Note: Show your Scout leader (or someone they choose) that you understand these responsibilities; your Firem'n Chit rights can be taken away if you don't keep them.
- Requirement 1
Read the fire use and safety rules in the Scouts BSA Handbook and show you understand them
Tip: Read the fire safety rules in your handbook and discuss them with a leader or older Scout.
- Requirement 2
Build a campfire only when it's needed and you have any required permits (rules vary by place)
Tip: Ask yourself if you really need a fire, and check for fire bans or permits before every trip.
For example: Before lighting, ask yourself: Would a stove do the job? Is there a burn ban or high fire danger today? Does this campground need a permit? If a fire isn't needed or isn't allowed, skip it.
- Requirement 3
Keep campfire impact low or use an existing fire lay, following Leave No Trace; clear all burnable material at least 5 feet around the fire (10 feet across)
Tip: Keep your fire small and use an existing fire ring when you can. Clear anything that can burn at least 5 feet around it.
For example: Use an existing fire ring when there is one. Clear leaves, twigs, and pine needles at least 5 feet back, keep the fire small enough to cook on, and burn wood down to ash.
- Requirement 4
Use and store matches, lighters, and other fire starters safely
Tip: Keep matches and lighters dry and in a safe place, away from the fire and from younger Scouts.
For example: Keep matches in a waterproof container and lighters in your kit, not on the log next to the fire. Store fire starters away from the flames and out of reach of younger Scouts.
- Requirement 5
Make sure someone is watching the fire at all times
Tip: Never leave a fire alone, even for a minute. Take turns watching it with a buddy.
- Requirement 6
Keep water and/or a shovel close at hand, and quickly report any wildfire to the right authorities
Tip: Set out water or a shovel before you light the fire. If you see a wildfire, tell an adult right away.
For example: If you see smoke or flames outside a fire ring, tell an adult right away so they can call 911 or the park office, and move your group away from the fire, not toward it.
- Requirement 7
Use the cold-out test to be sure the fire is completely out, and clean up the fire lay before leaving
Tip: Drown, stir, and feel the ashes until they're cool to the touch. Leave the site clean.
For example: The cold-out test: drown the fire with water, stir the ashes, drown again, then carefully feel near and on the ashes with the back of your hand. If anything is warm, repeat. Pack out any trash left in the fire ring.
- Requirement 8
Live by the Guide to Safe Scouting, the Outdoor Code, and the Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly! principles
Tip: Learn the Outdoor Code, Leave No Trace, and Tread Lightly! ideas, and check the Guide to Safe Scouting with a leader.
For example: Compare them: the Outdoor Code is a promise, Leave No Trace gives seven principles including minimizing campfire impacts, Tread Lightly! covers responsible use of trails and backroads, and the Guide to Safe Scouting has the fire rules for Scouting events.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A fire station
Firefighters can show the gear they wear, explain how wildfires start, and talk about campfire safety.
How: Have an adult call the station's non-emergency number and ask if they host youth group visits. Go with your patrol and be ready to leave if they get a call.
Ask yourself
- How do you decide whether a fire is worth building on a trip?
- What surprised you about how quickly a fire can grow?
- Who in your patrol would you trust to watch the fire, and why?
- What will you teach the next Scout who asks to light the fire?
Good questions to ask a firefighter or forest ranger
- What's the most common way campfires get out of control?
- How do you decide when to put a burn ban in place?
- What should a group do if a fire escapes the ring?
- What signs of fire danger should I look for when I arrive at a campsite?
Helpful reads
For leaders & parents
- Teach fire safety at a troop meeting before a campout so Scouts can earn the chit and practice right away.
- Model safe fire building and always have water ready.
People & places that can help
- Smokey Bear wildfire prevention (opens in a new tab) — Simple tips for safe campfires.
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (opens in a new tab) — Guidance on minimizing campfire impacts.
- Local fire department — Can talk about fire safety and local fire rules.
- Forest Service: Fire (opens in a new tab) — Campfire rules and fire restrictions on national forests.
- Smokey Bear Campfire Safety (opens in a new tab) — Step-by-step guide to building and putting out a campfire safely.
- Tread Lightly! (opens in a new tab) — The nonprofit's principles for responsible recreation on trails and backroads.
- Guide to Safe Scouting (opens in a new tab) — Scouting America's safety rules, including campfires and fire-starting tools.
Pairs well with
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.