Be Prepared - Boy Scouts Do Get Hurt

Your scouts, especially the younger ones, will sometimes get hurt no matter what you do. Because of this, you need to be prepared to handle any situation.

One way to do that is by completing basic first aid and CPR certifications. Also, does your troop carry a first aid kit? What’s your plan in case you have to rush a scout to the ER? Will there be enough leaders to stay with the group or will everyone have to go with you?

In the first place, you need to have everyone’s basic health information. This way, you can prevent potential incidents  Like food allergies, or knowing a scout is allergic to bees and might need you to administer an EpiPen.

Here are two examples of situations that taught me a lot about the importance of being prepared as a scout:

1)    Severe dehydration

A number of years ago, while working as a summer camp staff, I took a group of wilderness survival students off for their overnight.

I was talking with other leaders when we noticed a scout kind of in the bushes, alone acting kind of off. He was not part of our group & should not have been at top of the loop alone. We thought he somehow got high as a result of a painting service projects they did during the day. Since we had enough leaders, the scout leader and I walked the scout to the camp medic.

We found out the next day that the kid was actually carted off to the hospital for severe dehydration, after not eating or drinking all day. Luckily, we got him to the camp medic in time, as he would’ve spent more than one night at the hospital otherwise.

2)    Minor concussion

One time, on a snow adventure with a troop I was working with, we had the scouts at a meadow with a hill. We made sure that the scouts had their sports gears on, and the kids were having a great time sledding around the meadow and down the hill.

However, one of the scouts decided to give a ride on the back of his sled to a younger scout, and they lost control. The front scout went into a tree, looking a bit dazed and out of it. After watching him for about 30 minutes, we decided to take him back to town, and his mom took him to the ER. Apparently, he had a minor concussion as a result of the incident.

To sum it up

As a scout, you need to know how to do first aid and provide assistance in an emergency.  You don’t want your troops panicking at the first sign of distress, so you need to stay calm and show them that the situation is under control. If the problem worsens, and you need to rush a scout to the ER, a call to 911 may help. They can also guide you while you perform first aid.