In a significant outdoor emergency, you often need fire, and you need it right away. There is no time to go out and scrounge nice little bits of wood, batoning, etc. A handy cartridge, alcohol, or solid fuel stove is just the ticket.
Agreed.
There are times when I've been delayed by heavy snow, brush, hard to find trails, etc. If I come in at 11:00 PM to the area I want to camp, the last thing I want to do is gather wood in the dark. This is especially important to me in winter when it gets dark at 5:00 PM. It's time to pull out the stove, and "c'mon, baby, light my fire."
HJ