A practical companion to Keep the fire going. Read it without earning points or completing a lesson.
First night · Climate · Overdose · Council · Maple leaves
Start with immediate safety, drinking water, food, and a place to rest. A library or day center may provide daytime shelter, charging, bathrooms and resource help during opening hours. Ask about overnight options and confirm availability, accessibility, transport and pet policies before spending your last energy getting there. Keep a backup. You do not owe anyone labor, sex, personal history or a photograph for care.
211 local assistance ↗Ask your former agency or a local youth transition worker about independent-living support, housing referrals, replacement documents, health coverage and education assistance. Eligibility and availability vary. Ask for a written list and a follow-up contact; an unanswered referral is not a personal failure.
US Children’s Bureau · transition support ↗Human activities have caused global warming. Heat extremes and heavy precipitation are increasing; fire-weather risks rise in many regions. Local hazards differ, and no single game day is an attribution study. Use current forecasts, local warnings, evacuation guidance and air-quality reports. People without secure shelter often have fewer ways to escape exposure.
IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report ↗Reduce outdoor time and exertion. Find cleaner indoor air and confirm access; indoor air is not automatically clean. A properly fitted NIOSH-approved N95 reduces smoke-particle exposure but does not filter all gases or make a fire zone safe. Follow evacuation orders. Check AirNow.gov and local information.
EPA · smoke protection ↗Do not walk or drive into floodwater. Move away from low ground and drainage channels before conditions trap you. Follow evacuation directions and keep an accessible backup. Water may conceal current, damaged pavement, contamination and electrical hazards.
CDC · floodwater safety ↗This game’s council draws inspiration from gathering culture. Agree on your process before a crisis: facilitator, accessible speaking options, proposal, concerns, revision, consent, stand-asides and how serious objections are handled. Record decisions and dissent, rotate roles, set a review date and agree emergency procedures. Consensus is not coerced unanimity. Neither food nor belonging should depend on agreement. Actual communities have their own practices.
Rainbow council reflections · an individual account, not universal rules ↗The Garden describes a culture of sharing, freedom and cooperation. Rainbow materials describe council and consensus traditions. These are inspirations, not a claim that either community endorses this game, follows its exact procedures or can currently host you. Confirm current visitor arrangements directly.
The Garden · Foundation for Intentional Community listing ↗The game stands against authoritarian domination and dehumanization. Practice it through inclusion, consent, accountable shared power and nonviolent solidarity. Support people targeted by racist, antisemitic, anti-queer or other harassment. Ask what help they want; get support, avoid escalating danger, and protect their privacy. Receiving care never depends on political agreement.
DKCSC community ↗Keep resource copies offline. Share names, photos, locations and stories only with specific consent. Use opt-in contact channels and more than one trusted keeper. Do not turn a private group into a public archive without consent.
Facebook community supplied by Madre ↗Mark Nichols (1970–2024), known as Hobo Shoestring, shared accounts of his travels. His presence here honors his traveling legacy. Dialogue and situations are original writing, not historical quotations or a claim of endorsement. The people remembered here are not rewards, punishments or disposable game characters.
Mark Nichols · memorial reporting ↗Check opening hours and ask what is available. Ask about guest computers and book borrowing requirements; a free-book shelf can be another option. Plan where to go before closing.
Nomad Trail · practical resource planning ↗Day centers and drop-in centers may offer daytime space, bathrooms, meals, showers or support workers. Services and access vary. Check evening shelter intake separately.
Nomad Trail · practical resource planning ↗American Forests documents food uses for young leaves of many maples. That does not establish that an unknown leaf, every maple species, or every preparation is safe. Learn a locally verified species with an experienced instructor. Avoid sprayed and polluted places. Young greens are a supplement, not a replacement for enough calories. Never identify a meal from this card alone.
American Forests · Edible Trees ↗Naloxone (Narcan is one brand) reverses opioid effects. Follow its product directions and call 911. Follow dispatcher guidance for CPR, breaths and an AED. More naloxone may be needed after 2–3 minutes if normal breathing has not returned. Stay until emergency help arrives; symptoms can return. If breathing normally but unresponsive, place them on their side. Seek hands-on training.
American Red Cross · opioid overdose ↗Continuous or spurting bleeding can be life-threatening. Call 911 and press firmly with a dressing. Do not remove an embedded object; press around it. Tourniquets and wound packing require appropriate training. Stay until help arrives.
American Red Cross · severe bleeding ↗Cool a thermal burn with clean, cool running water for 5–20 minutes. Do not use ice or greasy substances. Do not remove clothing stuck to skin. Burns that blister need medical evaluation; deep, extensive or other serious burns need emergency help.
American Red Cross · burns ↗Heat stroke can be fatal. Confusion in the heat is an emergency: call 911 and begin rapid cooling while waiting. Sweating can still occur. Do not force fluids into someone who cannot safely swallow. Follow dispatcher instructions.
American Red Cross · heat stroke ↗Common dandelion has edible leaves. Its basal leaf rosette and leafless, hollow flower stalks are useful study features, but this card is not enough to identify a meal. Confirm the whole plant with a skilled local instructor and a regional guide. Avoid sprayed or polluted sites. Greens supplement meals; they do not replace a calorie supply.
UW–Madison Extension · dandelion ↗Common purslane has fleshy leaves and smooth, often reddish stems. Leaves and stems are eaten as vegetables. Similar-looking plants are not automatically safe. Use expert confirmation, multiple identifying features, permission and a clean site. Purslane is high in oxalates; people prone to kidney stones should avoid excessive intake.
UW–Madison Extension · common purslane ↗“Probably” is not enough. Toxic look-alikes can be deadly. Do not taste an unknown plant or mushroom, and do not rely on animal behavior or a single photo/app. If someone eats a potentially poisonous plant, contact US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222; call 911 for collapse, seizure or trouble breathing.
Poison Control · plant safety ↗211 connects people with local resources, including food assistance. Ask about the next open pantry or meal site, hours, eligibility, required documents and transportation. A referral does not guarantee availability. In the game, this skill helps you find an alternative when a pantry closes.
United Way 211 · food assistance ↗Use the local 211 directory or contact the organization to confirm access. Note hours, documents, location and a backup. Listings and supplies change. Public libraries can be a place to ask about local information and internet access, subject to local rules.
United Way 211 · local assistance ↗For clear water with germ risk, bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet, then let it cool. Boiling does not remove fuel, toxic chemicals or radioactive contamination: find another source. A verified drinking-water refill is simpler when available.
CDC · emergency drinking water ↗Direct help is a local decision, not a guaranteed chain-wide service. Chick-fil-A’s Shared Table program donates surplus to local nonprofits, shelters and food programs; it is not a promise of free meals to anyone who asks at the counter. You can ask where local donated food is served, then verify hours and access.
Chick-fil-A · Shared Table ↗For perishable food, the general limit outside safe refrigeration is 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. If the temperature history is unknown, you cannot establish that the food stayed safe. Harmful bacteria may not change smell, taste or appearance. Discarded food can also have chemical or other contamination. Staff-authorized surplus, pantries and meal sites are alternatives; ask and confirm availability.
USDA FSIS · food temperature safety ↗Staph and MRSA can cause skin infections, but you cannot identify MRSA by appearance. Do not pop or pick the sore. Keep it covered and clean your hands. Contact a clinician, especially with fever or lack of improvement. Some abscesses need professional drainage or prescribed treatment; first aid is not a cure.
CDC · MRSA ↗Brown recluse spiders mainly occur in southern and midwestern US areas. Wounds can have other causes and bites are difficult to confirm without identification. Wash with soap and water, cover with a non-stick dressing and call US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance. A worsening wound needs clinical care.
Poison Control · brown recluse ↗Sepsis is a medical emergency. Possible signs include confusion, shortness of breath, severe discomfort, clammy skin, fever or feeling very cold. Do not wait for a game-like health meter to hit zero. Get emergency help promptly; tell responders about the infection and symptoms.
CDC · sepsis ↗Local camping restrictions and enforcement differ, and rules may change. A warning, citation or detention is possible in some situations; sleeping outside is not automatically a criminal offense everywhere. Ask about current rules and permitted overnight options. This game does not certify sites or predict a legal outcome.
US Supreme Court · Grants Pass opinion (background, not local rules) ↗A wrapped cold pack for up to 20 minutes and elevation can help. Severe pain, inability to walk or worsening swelling needs assessment. Deformity, numbness or a cold discolored foot needs emergency care. A game cannot distinguish a sprain from a fracture.
NHS · sprains and strains ↗Do not deliberately burst a blister or peel away its skin. Keep it clean and protected. Increasing redness, heat, pain or pus needs assessment.
NHS · blisters ↗Immersion foot can occur without freezing. Prolonged wetness, pain, swelling or numbness deserves care. Dry footwear and regular foot checks are useful prevention.
CDC · immersion foot ↗Rest and hydration matter. Bloody diarrhea, inability to keep fluids down or persistent dehydration needs urgent care. Confusion, vomiting blood or severe sudden abdominal pain needs emergency help. Use soap and water for handwashing and avoid preparing shared food during illness and for 48 hours after symptoms stop.
NHS · vomiting and diarrhea ↗Poor responsiveness and abnormal breathing can mean alcohol overdose. Do not leave someone to sleep it off. Ordinary hangovers take time; coffee and more alcohol do not cure them or make driving safe.
NIAAA · alcohol overdose ↗Confusion or slurred speech in the cold can signal hypothermia. Call 911 and help prevent further heat loss. Warm the trunk gently; avoid direct intense heat and alcohol.
CDC · hypothermia ↗Mullein flower tea has a recognized traditional use for sore throat with dry cough and colds. That recognition rests on long use, not strong clinical trial evidence. This does not establish every leaf preparation as equivalent. Use an identified, quality-controlled herbal product and its directions; ask a pharmacist about suitability. Seek medical advice for persistent symptoms, fever or worsening cough; breathing trouble needs urgent help. Never substitute tea for prescribed breathing medicine.
European Medicines Agency · mullein flowers ↗Wild lettuce refers to several Lactuca species. There is a history of sedative and pain-relief use, but that is not a proven safe home treatment. Published Lactuca virosa poisonings include serious symptoms requiring hospital care. Species, plant part, concentration and individual health matter; a preparation cannot be declared safe just because someone has used it before. Do not treat a concentrated extract as salad greens or a substitute for assessment of severe pain.
Published case series · Lactuca virosa toxicity ↗Common cattail has food uses including young shoots and starch from rhizomes. The mature brown seed head is not a ready-to-eat corn dog. Different parts need different preparation. Young wetland plants can be confused with dangerous plants such as iris; do not identify a meal from leaves alone. Avoid polluted water, roadside runoff and drainage ditches. Study local identification and preparation with an experienced mentor; harvesting must also be permitted.
NC State Extension · Typha latifolia ↗English daisy, Bellis perennis, is described as having small-quantity culinary uses for flowers and young leaves, but the same botanical reference flags toxicity and contact dermatitis. “Daisy” also names many other plants. That is why this is a species-and-caution lesson, not a blanket food reward. Do not use a flower shape or common name as permission to eat.
NC State Extension · Bellis perennis ↗Woodland forget-me-not is Myosotis sylvatica, a member of the borage family. Common names cover different species and do not establish food or tea safety. Some culinary sources describe flower use, but that does not establish safe routine consumption of the whole plant. This notebook keeps the flower as a recognition and remembrance encounter, without a food or medicinal reward. Enjoy it where it grows rather than guessing.
NC State Extension · Myosotis sylvatica ↗White clover has documented culinary uses for young leaves and flowers, including cooked greens and flower tea. Learn its three leaflets, creeping growth and rounded flowerheads together, not one feature alone. These notes concern Trifolium repens, not every plant called clover or sweet clover. Wash harvested food, avoid sprayed or contaminated ground, and leave plenty for pollinators. It is a small supplement, not a complete meal.
NC State Extension · white clover ↗Broadleaf plantain has edible tender leaves; older leaves are fibrous and can be cooked in stews. The low rosette and strong lengthwise leaf veins are study features, not a complete identification. This is Plantago major, not the banana or water-plantain. Traditional wound uses do not make chewed leaves sterile or suitable for a fresh tattoo or infected wound. Large amounts may affect blood pressure; ask about suitability if you have health conditions or take medicines.
NC State Extension · Plantago major ↗Follow the artist’s dressing instructions. Wash hands before touching; gently wash with safe water and mild fragrance-free soap, then pat dry. Use recommended aftercare and clean loose clothing. Do not pick, scratch, soak or swim while it heals. Spreading redness, increasing pain, pus, fever or red streaks need prompt medical attention. Confusion or severe illness means emergency help.
Cleveland Clinic · tattoo aftercare ↗Confusion after a head injury needs emergency assessment. Watch breathing and responsiveness. Avoid moving the head or neck unless needed for immediate safety, airway care or CPR. Worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, weakness or trouble waking are emergency signs. Do not give alcohol or sedatives or send someone off alone. A small-looking injury can still be serious.
American Red Cross · head injury ↗Time the seizure, clear hazards, cushion the head and stay. Never restrain or put anything in the mouth. Once movements stop, check breathing; if breathing normally, help them onto their side when safe. If not breathing normally, follow dispatcher CPR/AED instructions. Call 911 for a first or unknown seizure, one lasting 5 minutes, repeated seizures without recovery, injury, water involvement or trouble breathing. No food, drink or pills until fully alert.
American Red Cross · seizures ↗Yellow skin or eyes can be jaundice. Dark urine and pale stools can occur too. New jaundice needs urgent medical assessment, even without pain. It has several possible causes; you cannot diagnose hepatitis or alcohol use by looking. Confusion, fainting, severe abdominal pain or severe illness needs emergency help. Food, rest and herbal cleanses do not establish or treat the cause.
NHS · jaundice ↗