{"id":2705,"date":"2021-01-05T15:22:21","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T20:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=2705"},"modified":"2021-01-05T15:22:23","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T20:22:23","slug":"january-5-2021-issue-660","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2021\/01\/january-5-2021-issue-660\/","title":{"rendered":"JANUARY 5, 2021 \u2013 ISSUE 660"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joe Sefcik, a Scoutmaster from Connecticut Rivers Council and a long-time contributor, sent me this article this morning\u2014I\u2019m passing it on to you not only because of these Scouts\u2019 quick-thinking and bravery but because we need some good news about Scouts every now and again\u2014and so does the general public!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sincere thanks to original author, Jerry Carino, Community Columnist for the Asbury Park (NJ) Press. The original story below is his, with some technical modifications by me. Ninety percent of the text below is Jerry\u2019s\u2014with my thanks!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

How Scouting Prepared Five Teens <\/strong>to Rescue Two Kids from Icy Pond<\/strong><\/p>\n

What led up to the rescue of two small children\u2014sister and brother Olivia and R.J. Heid, ages 8 and 4 respectively\u2014when their sled careened into an icy pond? How were five teenage boys\u2014all freshmen at Middletown High School-North\u2014prepared for precisely such a moment, and how did they know what to do? The simplest answer is: They\u2019re Scouts!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each winter, members of the Scouts BSA Troop 47 for boys, based in Middletown, compete in an all-day winter Scouting event called a \u201cKlondike Derby.\u201d Troop 47 Scoutmaster Mike Marinelli explains: \u201cThere are 12 stations and Scout patrols of six to eight are challenged to problem-solve at each one. Some are simple tasks like tying the correct knots. Others are First Aid-focused. And every year, one station is all about ice\/water rescue.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this rescue-aimed station, Scouts use ropes, buoyant objects, and \u201chuman chains\u201d\u2014several Scouts lined up, locked hand-in-hand, as a lifeline, when no other equipment is available.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the day eight-year-old Olivia and her brother, half that age, sledded straight into that icy pond, five teenage boys immediately sprung to the rescue.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two of the five\u2014Kieran Foley and Drew Scalice, both 14, are Scouts in Troop 47\u2014and two of the others had come up through Cub Scouts (Pack 242, at Middletown\u2019s Harmony Elementary School).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud, (but) I\u2019m not surprised,\u201d Scoutmaster Marinelli said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re involved in Scouts, you have these types of traits.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

On seeing the two little kids hit the water, Kieran Foley took action immediately. \u201cWe had training in what to do, how to get the kids out of the water and get them warm, but we never really had anything like this in real life!\u201d he later said. \u201cI just went right in,\u201d Kieran said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t really thinking of what my friends would do. I was just trying to get them out of the water as fast as possible. It was pretty cold, but I didn\u2019t feel the cold because of adrenaline.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

As soon as he took action, Kieran\u2019s friends\u2014 Drew Scalice, Ryan Day, Joseph Dietrich, and Tyler Armagan\u2014formed a human chain. \u201cWe didn\u2019t think a lot about it,\u201d Drew Scalice said. \u201cIn Scouts, (you get) that into your head\u2014you should help people who need help. And they (guide you on) how to work together as a team.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cKieran, who was in the water, grabbed the kids and handed them off Tyler,\u201d Drew said. \u201cI was holding Tyler by his one arm\u2014he was halfway in the water and halfway out\u2014then Tyler grabbed the kids and handed them off to our friend Ryan. That\u2019s what they show us (in Scouts)\u2014how to get people out of icy water.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cScouting has had a great influence on these boys,\u201d said Nicole Scalice, Drew\u2019s mom. \u201cIt\u2019s hands-on! They\u2019re off the technology and they\u2019re actually doing it!\u201d<\/strong>
\n==========
\nHappy New Year, Andy \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you heard of any success stories about Scouts BSA troops\u2019 activities in these unprecedented times? When this whole thing first started, the \u201cZoom\u201d thing was good\u2026for a while. Then, over a prolonged period, that method wore thin and eventually drifted into oblivion. Let\u2019s face it\u2014 It\u2019s pretty boring to learn compass, knot-tying, and the rest in an online environment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This past summer wasn\u2019t too bad because the weather improved and we were able to meet at a local part (and stay Covid-safe) or just go on troop hikes. This helped us stay true to keeping the \u201couting\u201d in Scouting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now we\u2019re back in yet another \u201cnew normal,\u201d including winter weather here in Connecticut that\u2019s just sort of miserable cold\u2014We\u2019re stuck in-between nice snow to the North and more temperate conditions to the South. Plus, with second and now third Covid \u201cwaves,\u201d our meeting spots of last spring are now off-limits, along with state parks and BSA camps that are shut down. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Our bottom line is that, for the foreseeable future, we\u2019ve got Scouting but no outing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our Scouts do have a few good troop meetings planned, and I\u2019m looking for ideas to spark things up a bit\u2014so we can all feel like Scouts again and not just stare at computer screens. Yes, we still use Zoom for Scoutmaster conferences, boards of review, and committee meetings, but nix on this for troop meetings! So thanks for any inspiration you can pass along. (Joe Sefcik, SM, Connecticut Rivers Council)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hear you loud and clear! Let\u2019s start by remembering that a “troop” isn\u2019t “a group of Scouts divided into patrols.” A Scouts BSA troop is actually two or more patrols that, in addition to their own activities, regularly do things (camping, hiking, service projects, etc.) side-by-side.<\/p>\n

So maybe it’s time for the patrols to gather (keeping in mind that a patrol sizes of 8 or fewer are what we’re working with)\u2014with their patrol leaders in charge! They can do this because they\u2019re the right size for meeting outdoors at a couple of picnic tables or indoors while masked and in a large room. (If the patrols’ sizes are around 6, this is pretty easy!)<\/p>\n

Besides, this is for the troop\u2019s Senior Patrol Leader to work out. As Scoutmaster, you advise the SPL but you don’t do his or her job! In short, the SPL runs the troop; not the Scoutmaster. Which brings to mind\u2026<\/p>\n

What service projects have the patrols tackled lately? I recall you telling me that the patrols used to help out at the pancake breakfasts your sponsor, the church, used to hold. Obviously, that\u2019s gone down the ol\u2019 porcelain fixture. But that\u2019s hardly the end of possibilities. What else might one of more patrols do for their sponsor? How about something for your town, like meal-serving to the food-insecure, or collecting blankets and warm jackets for the homeless and out-of-work. And there are loads of other things you can do, based on the dynamics of your home town!<\/p>\n

Sure I could come up with more ideas, but then I\u2019d be doing the Scouts\u2019 job for them. So instead, how about you conference with your Senior Patrol Leader and suggest a brainstorming session for the ones that actually run the troop\u2014the Patrol Leaders Council!
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a question about one of the requirements for the Emergency Preparedness merit badge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Requirement 2c says, “Meet with and teach your family how to get or build a kit, make a plan, and be informed for the situations on the chart you created for requirement 2b. Complete a family plan. Then meet with your counselor and report on your family meeting, discuss their responses, and share your family plan.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Requirement 8b says, “Prepare a personal emergency service pack for a mobilization call. Prepare a family kit (suitcase or waterproof box) for use by your family in case an emergency evacuation is needed. Explain the needs and uses of the contents.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Each \u201cletter\u201d requirement relates to its main requirement (2 and 8). Everything makes sense, except for the inclusion of “Prepare a family kit (suitcase or waterproof box) for use by your family in case an emergency evacuation is needed”<\/em> in 8b. Is that a requirement in addition to the “personal emergency service pack for a mobilization call”<\/em>? <\/strong><\/p>\n

A personal emergency service pack for a mobilization call and a kit for family evacuation are obviously two very different things.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would appear that the sentence in question would make more sense in requirement 2c. It specifically says, “get or build a kit”<\/em> for your family for situations that very likely could include an evacuation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who would be the correct person at the BSA to send this question to? (John Pinchot, MBC, Circle Ten Council, TX)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scouts BSA requirements for ranks and merit badges that duplicate one another are extremely rare, if they exist at all! In the cases of these requirements, here’s my take…<\/p>\n

2a is for non-evacuation situations. Moreover, it doesn’t actually require building or buying an emergency kit to be kept in the home, so long as the Scout teaches his or her family members what they\u2019ve learned about these.<\/p>\n

8b does ask that two different kits be assembled: one is a personal kit in case there\u2019s a troop-wide muster or other mobilization (I had one of these back in the day, when I qualified to be an Emergency Service Explorer); the other is a “family go-bag” in the event of an imminent area evacuation (e.g., area fire, flood, blizzard, hurricane, etc.).<\/p>\n

These observations are, of course, “unofficial.” For something with more teeth to it, consult with your district or council advancement chair or merit badge coordinator. If that doesn\u2019t work, you do live just a few miles as the crow flies from the BSA National Office and you may want to visit or just call them up and ask for a good person to talk with.<\/p>\n

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
\nHappy Scouting!<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
\nAndy<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I personally answer every email message I receive\u2014I have no \u201cwriting staff\u201d other than me. So please include your name and council when you write. If you\u2019d rather be anonymous\u2014if published\u2014just let me know and I\u2019ll honor that. Although these columns are copyrighted, you have my okay to quote or reproduce any column or part, so long as it\u2019s attributed: \u201cAsk Andy\u201d by Andy McCommish.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

[No. 660 \u2013 1\/5\/2021 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 2021 Andy McCommish]<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joe Sefcik, a Scoutmaster from Connecticut Rivers Council and a long-time contributor, sent me this article this morning\u2014I\u2019m passing it on to you not only because of these Scouts\u2019 quick-thinking and bravery but because we need some good news about Scouts every now and again\u2014and so does the general public! Sincere thanks to original author, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2705"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2708,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2705\/revisions\/2708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}