I disagree. In a survival situation fire is extremely valuable, and based on the items in this list, firemaking supplies are very limited. Keep in mind that in this scenario the survivor would have just swam a mile, and despite being a tropical island, hypothermia is still a possibility. It also could be night time and raining, since time of day and weather was not specified. Even in perfect conditions, finding proper tinder can be difficult if you're not experienced in wilderness firemaking, and most poeple aren't.

Soaking a small amound of the fuel, whatever it is(oil based gasoline?!) in some grass, leaves, a pice of fabric, or even dirt would make it much easier to get a fire going, and would have minimal risk if a little common sense is used.

Survival gear is all about having options you wouldn't otherwise have. Personally, I'd much rather have the option.

And having medical gear shouldn't make any difference about your decision to use fuel. There's not much that even the best FAK can do for burns, especially major ones. If you think getting burned is a likely outcome, then you shouldn't be doing it.

As far as the Darwin award goes, chances are someone in this situation, without a life raft, survival kit, or plan, not to mention the sinking boat is likely a candidate anyway. Of course starting a fire with gasoline is stupid in normal situations, but I think we can all agree that things are a bit different in a survival situation.