Health and Safety

When Robert Baden Powell founded the Scouting movement, he advised his Scouts to "Be Prepared." When a Scout once asked what it was they should be prepared for, Baden Powell replied "Any old thing."

Every troop should have a winter wilderness weekend on its calendar. Where is your troop going? If you are having any reservations, remember all of the complications of cold weather camping can happen on a balmy day on a 50-mile hike in any part of the rugged country of California. Be prepared!

The financial liability of volunteers and chartering organizations when accidents, injuries and sickness occur on Scout activities is a concern of many. It may be the one concern that keeps potential volunteers and organizations away from participation in Scouting. This is unfortunate because the Boy Scouts of America has an extensive liability insurance program to support both its volunteers and its chartering organizations.

As we sit at home or in the office bemoaning the winter weather, we eagerly think ahead to that big trip we'll take this summer. Unfortunately, sitting around all winter doesn't get us in shape for such an adventure. All good Scout leaders and parents will take the time and make the effort to be physically prepared for the summer. One of the leading causes of serious medical problems in Scouting is over-exertion that can lead to sprains, pulls and in the worst case, serious heart problems. So lets prepare!

The Scout motto is: "Be prepared". Another motto is "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". These phrases underscore the purpose and importance of preventing illnesses and injuries before they happen. If you practice prevention you can save yourself a great deal of pain, misery, sick time and even long term illness or disability.

We have reviewed our experience on BSA wilderness outings in Northern California and elsewhere, and have identified twelve conditions which, with varying probability, will arise.

When I was 15, I nearly killed myself skiing. I compressed a vertebra, cracked three ribs and was fairly certain I was going to die on that mountain just after I hit the ground. It was a very simple accident, I ducked to avoid a tree branch just before I hit a jump at high speeds, unintentionally flipped in the air and proceeded to bounce across the snow like a stone skipping on a pond. While I did get out of PE for three weeks, I hope to never repeat the experience again. All it took was an instant of misjudgment to nearly end my life, and it could have happened to anyone.

Going on a hike? How about a hike around town? Or perhaps you and your Scouts are pounding the pavement drumming up Popcorn Sales. Before you know it we'll all be out canvassing the neighborhoods, Scouting for Food.

What do all of these activities have in common? You guessed it - just walking around. Our BSA is an organization that is nearly as old as the automobile. I looked through a lot of old Scout Handbooks and it seems to me that there has always been great concern about safety in and near the automobile.

Twelve years ago I was on the Tour du Mont Blanc above Chamonix, France and observed young hikers enjoying themselves jumping from rock to rock down talus slopes using what appeared to be expandable ski poles for balance and stability. On the second day of this classic 120-mile trek our guide supplied each of us with such poles for a very steep descent. By the time we reached Courmayeur, Italy I was convinced of the value of these poles and bought a pair.

Don't put yourselves in the plight of Coleridge's Ancient Mariner by being unable to drink safely because you either don't know how or forgot the necessities to purify your water!

What do we need to know about our water supply? First, all water sources that are not known to be potable (suitable for drinking) are potential sources for water borne diseases in California and most other places you might visit on outings and backpacking trips. Contaminated water supplies may harbor: