Safety aroung a cooking fire

[Three Hawks]

I posted this verbatim at Muzzleloader.com Campfire and thought it appropriate to do it here as well.

I was at a rendezvous over the Independence Day weekend and camped across from me was a young couple who are new to rendezvous that one being their second.  Nice folks, with a little girl and a baby, if memory serves.

Mom was busy each day at the cooking fire, seemingly having a good time, but she scared me very badly. She had on a loose cotton blouse, cotton full skirt and a light cotton overblouse or coat of some sort which was open and flowing.

All this cotton wafting back and forth as she bent over the fire was and is an invitation to catastrophe.

Friends of mine are LDS. Each Summer they help in a trek simulating the Mormon migration from Nauvoo to Salt lake in the 1800's, complete with actual food rations, pushing and pulling the handcarts and sleeping on the ground in the prairie weather and heat to get an idea of the hardship their forbears endured. Last year a young woman, approximately 17, was cooking over a fire much as this young wife and mother was when her loose cotton clothing ignited. She suffered second and third degree burns over approximately 20% of her body and is still healing from it. Luckily it was mostly confined to her arms and torso, with little damage to her face. All of her hair burned off and is growing back a different color.

I wonder how many women and girls, men and boys too, for that matter, give any thought to the horror of their clothes catching fire?

Yes, I did walk over and have a short chat with her about my concern. I'll likely never know if it will have any effect. I pray to God I don't find out from a news report.

Three Hawks

[Mitch]

Survival of the fittest.....perhaps an 'almost" Darwin award winner?

[mario]

I am told fire was one of the leading causes of death for 18th century women (the other being childbirth).

This is one of the reasons (authenticity being the other) that re-enactment orgs specify only natural fibers for clothing.


Mario

[Minnesota Mike]

I am told fire was one of the leading causes of death for 18th century women (the other being childbirth).

This is one of the reasons (authenticity being the other) that re-enactment orgs specify only natural fibers for clothing.

Mario

Unfortunately you are correct. And almost as unfortunate is that, while better than cotton, 'natural' fibers are not much better. Especially if not washed very often and laden with greases and other flame accelerants that frequently were just rubbed off the hands and onto the clothes.

r/
MM

[mario]

, 'natural' fibers are not much better. Especially if not washed very often and laden with greases and other flame accelerants that frequently were just rubbed off the hands and onto the clothes.

The reasoning is that while cotton, linen and wool may burn or smolder, anything synthetic will melt and stick causing worse damage.

Mario

[Minnesota Mike]

The reasoning is that while cotton, linen and wool may burn or smolder, anything synthetic will melt and stick causing worse damage.

Mario

Absolutely - that's why the certified Navy twill uniforms I used to wear were not permitted onboard ship for normal wear. Would turn into molten plastic if caught in a shipboard fire. Would tend to make the wearer very unhappy.

r/
MM

[snake eyes]

I am not a rondy person but seems like a good thing to post at
the entrance to every rondy.Might just save someone from serious injury.Just a thought.
snake-eyes

[Minnesota Mike]

Yup - suggested to Seminar Mistress for the NRLHF that as a standard part of the seminars offered at the NRLHF rendezvous, they do one on basic camp safety - two things I saw that caused me some concern was the clothing around cooking fires and that some people have no idea how to use an axe or hatchet for chopping fire wood. There were a couple last April from whom I'd have taken all four corners off of their totin chip in one swoop!

But talking with one later - yup, no training or education other than movies or watching others. So quick little impromptu session - 'OOOHHHhhhh . . . I get it now.'

Too often lack of safety is from lack of education and not disregard or 'it can't happen to me' . . . they just don't know any better.

r/
MM