Firewalk

Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot wooden coals. A combination of pine, ash and oak is burnt and then broken down into a smooth red-hot path of embers. The lane itself is between 15-20ft long and 2-3ft wide. During the course of the burn down, the temperature of the fire reaches over 1236° Fahrenheit, and when it comes time to walk on the coals, the fire lane will be burning at a core temperature of over 400-600° degrees Fahrenheit.

In essence, it’s the same as a normal sponsored walk except the event takes place over twenty feet as opposed to twenty miles! The same structure exists, and participants seek sponsorship in recognition of such a courageous undertaking.

The history of humanity and the discovery of the technology of fire are intimately connected, and recent evidence suggests our ancestors, Australopithecus, mastered fire over 1.5 million years ago. The oldest recorded firewalk took place in India over 3000 years ago, and evidence of firewalking has been found on every continent except Antarctica. From the shamanic Hawaiian Kahunas walking over red-hot lava to the healing ceremonies of the Kung Bushmen of the African Kalahari Desert, the act of firewalking still forms a key religious and spiritual practice of indigenous people the world over.

During the eighties, trainer Cliff Mann developed and popularised firewalking here in the UK as both a tool of rapid brain change and as a template for fundraising. This model has been further developed, expanded upon, and professionalised as Time4Change takes firewalking into the 21st Century. Today, firewalking has gone from an esoteric discipline bordering on the ‘supernatural’ to a practice that is utilised by such mainstream corporations as Microsoft, American Express, and Barclays. Even the former US President Bill Clinton has walked over fire!

There are multiple theories as to why it is possible to walk barefoot over a bed of hot coals without injury. At one end of the spectrum we have a scientific explanation based upon the principles of heat conductivity and thermal insulation. Many of these reports focus on both the poor conductivity of wooden coals in terms of heat transfer to the skin (that is why iron saucepans favour wooden handles) and the short contact time between the sole of the foot and the hot coals themselves (in the same way we can juggle a very hot baked potato between the hands). Some scientists even suggest the ‘Leidenfrost Effect’ may play a part. This occurs when a cold wet object (the foot) contacts a hot dry object (the coals); the resulting water vapours form a barrier of steam and since steam is a relatively poor conductor of heat, the foot remains unharmed. On the other hand, the fact that there is no definitive ‘physical’ explanation for why firewalking is possible leaves room for a more ‘non-scientific’ understanding and certainly the American founders of the modern firewalking movement adopt this approach. This ‘esoteric’ or ‘spiritual’ explanation is based upon the concepts of ‘heightened body energy’ and an enhanced state of consciousness.

At T4C, we adopt a very pragmatic approach to firewalking and believe that every single person has the innate ability and skill set to walk safely across hot coals without injury; regardless of the belief system that is adopted.

The firewalk will be run by Time4Change; a training and events company based in Nottingham. For over three decades, instructor Cliff Mann has safely guided literally thousands of people from all walks of life over hot coals and today is recognised as the most experienced firewalking instructor operating in the UK and Europe. Amongst countless others, he has taught the art and science of firewalking to clients as diverse as Boots, Watford Football Club, Sytner BMW, Twinings, John Lewis Partnership, Air Ambulance and The Samaritans. Cliff has worked with the BBC as a firewalking consultant and has appeared on Discovery Health, GMTV Inch Loss Island, The House of Fear and Record Breakers where he broke the European firewalk record for distance. In addition to this, Cliff is a fully qualified hypnotherapist, veteran martial arts instructor and Neuro Linguistic Programming [NLP] Master Practitioner.

Each participant will take part in a mandatory training seminar before being given the opportunity to walk across hot coals. Our approach is very simple; we believe human beings learn best through a combination of humour, metaphor, experience and experiment and the seminar reflects this. In essence we explore and experiment with the psychological, emotional and most of all, physical consequences of adopting a given belief system. We draw upon a wide range of disciplines and practices such as motivational psychology, NLP and the martial arts. It is important to bear in mind that there is no illusion or ‘trick’ to firewalking. No special materials are used and nor are you hypnotised or put into any altered state of consciousness.

First of all, the most important thing to remember is you will not be walking over flames! The wood is burnt down to a bed of smooth embers before the walk takes place. The actual experience of firewalking seems to be completely subjective; some people report a pleasant warm sensation, others like it was ‘walking on snow’ and others still say they can remember absolutely no sensation at all. If you have ever been abroad and stood on a hot beach you will have experienced more discomfort than walking on hot coals!!

Despite the fact that no-one has ever to our knowledge stopped halfway through a firewalk, it is a question that is often asked! The fact that you will be in an energised state when you are about to cross the fire lane does not in any way take your attention away from the task in hand. We often make the analogy of the state of mind we are in when we cross the road as the green light flashes; people seldom stop their journey at this point! Finally, in keeping with our strict health and safety guidelines, we ensure at least two members of T4C are constantly monitoring the lane as each walker crosses.

Activities such as parachuting, bungee jumping or abseiling all involve an element of risk and firewalking is no exception to this. Unlike these activities, no mortalities have ever occurred firewalking. Firewalking can indeed be a dangerous activity if the training is carried out by inexperienced instructors or fire team members. Likewise, injuries can occur should the participants fail to adhere to the exact instructions given to them during the seminar. Time4Change follows strict health and safety guidelines within the framework of our standard operating procedures. As a result of our training methods and our attention to detail, no-one has ever suffered an injury while crossing a T4C fire lane. We are very proud of our 100% safety record and take every precaution to ensure it remains this way.

Firewalking is a courageous undertaking regardless of the reasons why the participant is doing it and the training is specifically designed to tap into the inner resources of fearlessness, commitment and self-belief we all possess. We suggest to those who are unsure as to whether they will actually walk to leave that decision until after the training seminar. For us the training is as important as the actual firewalk itself and the skills and attitudes one learns in the seminar become tools which last a lifetime. Having said that, out of the thousands of people have been taught the art of firewalking by Cliff Mann, not a single person has declined to walk across fire when given the opportunity to do so. Another 100% record of success we are very proud of.

Even now, after three decades teaching firewalking, we are still astonished by the number of people who tell us it has transformed their lives. The skills and positive belief systems one adopts during a firewalk seminar are applicable to all areas of life where fear and doubt can prevent an individual from becoming the person they are truly capable of being. When an individual firewalks, an increased awareness of how to achieve goals develops along with an enhanced view of the potential to succeed. Finally and perhaps the most important reason of all, it’s so much fun to do!

To secure your place on the event we are asking everyone to provide an inclusive registration fee of £35 and agree to a minimum fundraising target of £100 (but obviously we encourage you to generate far more!). The average amount of sponsorship raised on a sponsored firewalk is usually between £200 and £250, with many participants raising way beyond this figure. It’s important to remember that people are not only more willing to sponsor an individual who is taking part in such an unusual event; they are far more likely to offer higher levels of sponsorship. Participants will be required to raise 80% by Saturday 7 March or their place will be at risk. Thank you so much for your understanding and support.

The registration process begins at 5:15pm onwards. You will register for the event and bring any additional sponsorship monies you have collected with you. After the training session (beginning at 6pm) you will be brought out to the prepared fire lane at 7.30pm. An experienced member of the T4C team always crosses the lane first to ensure it meets our strict safety criteria and once the go ahead has being given, each walker is then given the opportunity to walk across the fire lane. After all the walkers have safely crossed the lane, you will be led back to the training room for a quick debrief and presentation of a certificate of achievement.

As no special clothes are required, casual clothing is fine as long as your trousers can be rolled up and there is no obstacle to removing your socks. Wet wipes are a good idea afterwards to wipe any soot off your feet.