One of the most important skills a prepper can master for both short and long term survival is the art of creating fire. Fire can provide you with the ability to boil water in order to purify it and kill any bacteria. It can be used to cook food that cannot be eaten raw, such as meat you’ve hunted and many types of foraged berries and leaves.

Fire will also give warmth to maintain your body temperature when the sun goes down as well as light so you can see what you’re doing in the darkness. The very fact a fire is burning in your campsite can provide comfort to you and your group and keep wild animals away too.

Thankfully there are so many ways to create a survival fire, from a traditional bow drill or hand drill, to modern inventions such as windproof lighters and matches that can be lit even in the harshest of weather conditions. Tools such as flint, ferro rods and magnifying glasses can also be used to get a survival fire going, as well as some ingenious ways you may never have considered such as a battery and wire wool.

Preppers should always equip themselves with the correct gear to start a fire, and the knowledge of how to keep it going. Having multiple backups for ways to create fire is crucial, so no matter what happens you will always have the ability to generate some heat and warmth. Aim to have at least three different ways of creating fire in your kit, along with some dry tinder.

Fire and smoke can also be dangerous if they get out of hand, so you should always look at ways to stay safe when creating fires outdoors and indoors too. Knowing how to make survival fires in stealth mode without too much light or smoke is something important to know too so you can’t be detected if your aim is to stay hidden.

Below you will find lots of useful articles on how to make fire, what tinder can be used, and the multiple kinds of campfire you can create to stay warm and toasty in even the coldest of British winters.