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FIRST AID

Having agreed to live by the Scout Oath, Scouts pledge themselves to help other people at all times. Often, all that takes is an observant eye to spot a person in need of assistance, and then the kindness to lend a hand.

But sometimes, especially when somebody is ill or injured, being helpful takes skill and knowledge, too. That’s why Boy Scouts have been learning first aid since the earliest days of the Scouting movement.

That’s also why this program feature is so important. It will introduce Scouts to the know-how that could be vital in an emergency, and it will give them the confi­dence that comes with knowing they are prepared to act in situations requiring basic first aid.

Troop meeting activities should focus on first aid skills. Younger Scouts will work on first aid require­ments for Tenderfoot through First Class ranks. Experienced Scouts will concentrate on the more advanced skills required for the First Aid, Lifesaving, and Emergency Preparedness merit badges.

The big event of the month will be a disaster day. Patrols will be confronted with mock emergency situa­tions that will improve and test their first aid skill, decision-making ability, and teamwork. The disaster day might be the highlight activity of a weekend campout, or it can be held in a local park or shopping center as a public demonstration of BSA first aid.

SCOUTING OUTCOMES

This month’s patrol and troop activities should give your Scouts

• An understanding that the pledge “to help other people at all times” requires skill as well as goodwill toward others
• A good grasp of the fundamentals of first aid for life-threatening situations and for many less serious injuries
• Confidence that they will be able to act rationally in an emergency

ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

By the end of the month, all Scouts should have met the majority of their basic first aid requirements through First Class rank. If the disaster day is part of a campout, they might also complete all or part of the following rank requirements:

Tenderfoot

• Outdoor—cooking, camping, hiking
• Citizenship—flag ceremonies, Good Turn, first aid
• Patrol/troop participation—patrol identification
• Personal development—Scout Oath and Law

Second Class

• Outdoor—cooking, camping, hiking
• Citizenship—flag ceremonies, Good Turn, first aid
• Patrol/troop participation—leadership
• Personal development—Scout Oath and Law
• Physical fitness—drug awareness

First Class

• Outdoor—cooking, camping, nature, hiking
• Citizenship—flag ceremonies, Good Turn, first aid
• Patrol/troop participation—leadership
• Personal development—Scout Oath and Law

Merit Badges.

Older Scouts can concentrate on the First Aid and Emergency Preparedness merit badges this month; they should be able to complete most of the requirements. If the troop has a campout in conjunction with disaster day, they might also complete some requirements for Cooking, Camping, Hiking, and Lifesaving merit badges.

PARENT/GUARDIAN PARTICIPATION

The patrol leaders’ council can involve parents and guardians in the program feature this month by

• Asking qualified parents and guardians to help with first aid instruction
• Inviting them to the disaster day event
• Asking parents and guardians to provide transporta­tion, if necessary, for disaster day

PATROL LEADERS’ COUNCIL

The patrol leaders’ council should have met during the early part of the previous month to plan troop activities for this program feature. If they didn’t complete all of the items on the following agenda, they can continue planning at brief patrol leaders’ council meetings after each troop meeting.

• Decide whether or not the disaster day will be a stand-alone event or the highlight of a campout. Choose a site and ask an assistant Scoutmaster or troop committee member to secure any necessary permissions.
• Plan the mock emergency situations the patrols will face on disaster day or, if the patrol leaders’ coun­cil wants the entire troop to be surprised by the mock emergencies, assign an adult leader to plan them. (Sample emergencies appear on the following pages.)
• Invite First Aid and Emergency Preparedness merit badge counselors to help with troop meeting instruc­tion and to serve as judges of patrol performance on disaster day.
• Plan details of troop meetings for the month. Assign patrol demonstrations of the skills needed for disaster day.

BIG EVENT Disaster Day

This big event can take one of several forms.

It might be

•  The highlight of a campout during which patrols are confronted with several unexpected situations requiring a search for “victims,” administering first aid, deciding whether or not to transport the “victims,” and if so, how to transport them properly
• A fairly simple afternoon exercise of first aid tests, either in a remote area or in town
• A public demonstration of first aid in a local park, shopping center, or other easily accessible area
• A surprise call at an unusual hour for the troop to mobilize and be prepared to handle first aid for the “victims” of a mock disaster

The patrol leaders’ council should decide how to set up the disaster day. Whatever form they choose, the patrols will be presented with a series of first aid prob­lems that are as realistic as possible. Use makeup on your “victims” to simulate real injuries. The victims can be troop committee members or Webelos Scouts from a nearby Cub Scout pack.

Make the emergencies as realistic as possible, too. If, for example, disaster day is held in a remote area and one of the victims is supposed to have fallen down a steep embankment and suffered a broken leg, that’s where he should be found. You might want to have one of the victims lost as well as injured so that the patrols must organize a lost-person search.

Sample Disaster Day Emergencies

A disaster day exercise can be made up of a series of first aid problems. Patrols go from one scenario to the next, spending twenty to thirty minutes at each one.

Mock emergencies should be set up based on the first aid training Scouts have received during the month. The emergencies should reinforce what the boys have learned and give them confidence in their ability to provide appropriate emergency care.

For each problem there should be a knowledgeable adult or older Scout on hand who is qualified to assess the patrols’ performance and to reinforce their knowl­edge. As Scouts complete their treatment of an accident victim, the resource person can help them understand what they did correctly and provide guidance on ways they can improve in the future.

Sample Emergency 1

A Scout who has been working on a conservation project on a hot, humid afternoon returns to camp to help with supper. Near the cooking fire, he suddenly becomes dizzy and nauseous, loses his balance, and falls. As he falls, his hand goes into a pan of hot grease. His face is pale and clammy, and he is barely conscious.

Sample Emergency 2

A hiker has tumbled down a steep ridge. Scouts find him with one leg bent under him and the ankle appar­ently deformed. A cut on his left wrist is spurting blood.

Sample Emergency 3

Scouts find a fisherman along the shore of a stream. He is having trouble breathing, is sweating heavily, and feels nauseous. He complains of an uncomfortable pres­sure in the center of his chest.

Sample Emergency 4

A boy is found unconscious near a large fallen tree branch. His right lower leg is bleeding and is turned at an abnormal angle. There is blood on his chest and face.

Sample Emergency 5

The victim is found sitting at the foot of a tree. He is holding his leg and says, “I’ve been bitten by a snake!” On his calf are two small puncture wounds about three fourths of an inch apart.

Sample Emergency 6

A young boy is found wandering near a stream, mumbling to himself. His clothing is wet and he is shivering uncontrollably. Blood is oozing slowly from a wound on his head.