Scoutmaster

Wilderness First Aid

This weekend I completed my 16 hours of Wilderness First Aid training. Crews bound for Philmont this summer must have “... at a least one person, preferably two, (either an advisor or a youth participant) in each crew be currently certified in American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid or the equivalent and CPR from the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross or the equivalent."

Our three high adventure crews are headed north to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario Canada this summer rather than west to Philmont but we will be in a similarly remote situation and thought it wise that we should observe the same precautions. Wilderness First Aid  prepares us for emergencies when help is some hours away.

Focused on the the prevention, recognition and response of illness and injury the course builds on basic first aid skills. Much of the time was devoted to learning and practicing how to assess, stabilize and monitor injuries. Trainees don't leave the course as EMT's or anything close but they should be capable of applying some advanced skills while waiting for help to arrive.  I wouldn't be surprised if WFA training became a requirement to obtain a tour permit for any Scout activity where emergency response time was four or more hours in length. 

Safety on any Scouting adventure depends on good leadership. Good leadership requires a commitment to training. If your Scout Council has an active High Adventure Program they have probably arranged to offer WFA training.

Wilderness First Aid article in Scouting Magazine

Wilderness Safety Council website (courses offered in Mid Atlantic states)

NOTE That while the Philmont policy quoted above specifically references  'American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid' I was unable to find any such training on their website.

Lightning Safety Week: June 21-27, 2009

This is Lightning Safety Week. Dangerous yet fascinating lightning demands respect and inspires reverence.

Here are three important lightning safety resources and three interesting lightning phenomena:

If you haven't already do complete the Weather Hazards training offered at MyScouting

Lightning Safety Week Information from NOAA

Summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena— lightning. But don't be fooled, lightning strikes year round. The goal of this Website is to safeguard U.S. residents from lightning. In the United States, an average of 62 people are killed each year by lightning:

• To date, in 2009, 15 people have been killed by lightning
• In 2008, 28 people died due to lightning strikes
• Hundreds of others were injured. 
• Of the victims who were killed by lightning in 2008:
• 100% outside
• 79% male
• 36% males between the ages of 20-25
• 32% under a tree
• 29% on or near the water

Lightning Precautions at Medicine for the Outdoors

One of the world's experts on lightning injuries is Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, who is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of the Lightning Injury Research Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

As Dr. Cooper has noted, most people seriously underestimate the risk of being struck and do not know when or where to take shelter ... it is very important that everyone who might be caught in a thunderstorm be able to make a rapid assessment of the risk, and seek the best shelter or protective positioning possible. This is a personal responsibility for most, and a very important skill for group leaders.

Slow Motion Lightning

Tom Warner's slow motion video camera records 7200 frames per second creating an incredible, elegant record of lightning strikes.

Lichtenberg Figures

The first Lichtenberg figures were actually 2-dimensional patterns formed in dust on the surface of charged insulating plates in the laboratory of their discoverer, German physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742-1799). Stoneridge Engineering creates captured lightning using high voltage and acrylic resin.

Fulgurites

Formed when lightning with a temperature of at least 1,800 degrees Celsius instantaneously melts silica on a conductive surface and fuses grains together and leaves evidence of the lightning path. Sometimes referred to as petrified lightning. Tubes can be up to several centimeters in diameter, and meters long. Their color varies depending on the composition of the sand they formed in, ranging from black or tan to green or a translucent white. The interior is normally very smooth or lined with fine bubbles; the exterior is generally coated with rough sand particles and is porous. Root like in appearance fulgurites often show branching or small holes.
More at Wikipedia

H1N1 Swine Flu Hits Scout Camps

This week at least three Scout Camps report outbreaks of the H1N1 swine flu virus;

In Asheville North Carolina Camp Daniel Boone

Camp Daniel Boone workers will continue monitoring campers and staff throughout the summer after 47 people came down with symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus, or swine flu. “We feel like we're not over and done with it, and we're going to monitor the situation throughout the summer,” said camp director Dan Rogers. “We don't anticipate anything further, but like a good scout, we will be prepared.”

In Colorado San Isabel Scout Ranch

Fourteen Boy Scouts and an adult medic have been put in quarantine at the San Isabel Boy Scout Camp after showing flu-like symptoms earlier this week. The 14 boys were taken to a Pueblo hospital where one tested positive for Type A influenza. Health officials expect to know sometime today if he has the H1N1 swine flu variety.

 

In Utah Camp Maple Dell

The Boy Scouts of America have decided to close Camp Maple Dell in Payson Canyon this week, because of confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu virus.

Last week as BSA staff were preparing the camp for scout troops, one person became ill. They were later found to have the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. Other staff members were checked as a precaution, and Scout Officials decided not to open the camp yet.

Management of an outbreak includes daily temperature monitoring, heightened awareness of proper hygiene practices and isolation of anyone with flu-like symptoms.

During my twelve years as a camp staff member and camp director a bug of one kind or another usually made the rounds of the staff. Usually a cold or similar virus dogged our steps for a week or two, never anything more than an inconvenience. While the H1N1 causes a relatively mild illness we should still do our best to halt outbreaks. Here are some directions form the Centers for Disease Control:

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against novel H1N1 virus. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Stay home if you are sick for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.

The American Camping Association has issued guidelines (link opens PDF file)for avoiding and controlling outbreaks.

I'd suggest that Scoutmasters do their own screening and ask Scouts who have been symptomatic to stay home. This begins by asking every Scout “In the past week have you or anyone in your family had a fever over 100°F and a cough or sore throat?". Not every fever and cough is H1N1 but a "yes" answer to this question should alert us to a possible problem and lead to a request that the Scout be tested for H1N1 before he goes to camp.

Making The Call

Our Troop had planned a canoe day trip down a local river last Saturday.

Despite a rainy week Saturday looked like a fine one for a paddle. I had checked water levels and the river seemed to be back to normal after having been swollen by the weeks rains. As we were assembling and getting set to go we were approached by a Waterways Conservation Officer who strongly suggested that we call off our trip.

The Tuesday before our trip two kayakers tragically lost their lives just upstream of our put-in spot. One of the bodies had yet to be recovered. The officer thought that it would be inadvisable for a group of Scouts to paddle this section as they may discover the lost body.

I assembled my fellow leaders out of earshot of the Scouts and we discussed our options. In the end we decided that the disappointment of missing the trip would be more bearable than the possible trauma of finding a body that had been in the river for several days. Of course the Scouts had figured out the subject of our conversation so the outing would have been preoccupied with the prospect had we decided to go.

That day the body was discovered by picnickers a mile or so below our put-in point. The day after a youth group had to be rescued from the river along our purposed route when their canoes became entangled in partially submerged trees.

I have told my Scouts, on several occasions, that we don't want to be in the newspaper or on television unless we have asked the reporters to show up. I am not totally risk-adverse but analyzing and avoiding unnecessary risk is part of any Scout Leader's job.

Managing the H1N1 Flu Virus for Scout Leaders

Below are several resources for Scout Leaders to educate themselves about how to properly and responsibly prepare to react to the H1N1 flu virus outbreak.

In addition to monitoring these sources I will keep an eye on our school district's webpage for announcements and check in at our local council for direction. Our scouts and families know if school is dismissed we generally don't hold Scout meetings. We'll take a few minutes to review the guidelines below with our Scouts at our next meeting.

Scouting Magazine's Cracker Barrel Blog
Let’s get serious. The H1N1 flu, commonly known as “swine flu,” is spreading rapidly across the United States, and the BSA is asking all unit leaders to be prepared and stay informed.

The CDC has the most up-to-date information on the H1N1 flu at their Web site, and the BSA’s Health and Safety team has offered these tips:

• Take everyday actions to stay healthy. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs spread that way.
• If you have flulike symptoms, stay home and update your employer regularly. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

To stay informed, bookmark the BSA’s Health and Safety alert page. Make sure to pass this message along to your Scouts at your next unit meeting.

B.S.A. Health and Safety Alerts Webpage

Be Prepared

Now is a good time to review your personal and business continuity plans.

Engage your local Health and Safety and/or Risk Management resources to assist in review of any activities, events, or gatherings. Some examples from around the BSA include:

• Liaison with local public health officials for council or district gatherings.
• Publish FAQs to address common questions about unit activities and provide local guidance.  
• Implement day or resident camp-style medical screenings in conjuction with your camp physician at events or gatherings.
• Review policies on care of an ill participant or one who becomes ill at an event, including quarantine procedures.
• Review business interruption and event cancellation clauses in insurance policies.
• Place hyperlinks to either the CDC or Scouting Safely Alerts on your Web sites. 

CDC N1H1 Information
General information about the virus.

CDC School and Childcare Dismissal
Specific guidance for schools and child care centers

"If a school dismisses students or a childcare facility closes, school or childcare-related gatherings should also be canceled. Parents and students should be encouraged to avoid congregating in large numbers outside of the school setting."

Managing Risk - Maintaining Program Integrity

 At the end of a portage last summer I met a party of canoe trippers who were beating a hasty retreat. One of them wore a bloody bandage around his right ankle owing to an accident with an axe. This sent a shiver down my spine as I silently congratulated myself on the 'no axe or hatchet' policy for our crews.

Our decision not to carry axes or hatchets was not based on fear but the calculated management of risk. As a rule pushing a saw is quicker than swinging an axe, the saw is lighter than the axe and the saw is safer than the axe. The increased risk of the axe would not be offset by its utility. In a situation where we could be many hours of travel from medical attention managing risks like these is no small matter.

Taken to its logical absurdity the most complete and safe way to eliminate risk for a canoe trip is to stay at home. But our goal is to manage rather than eliminate risk.

Another absurdity is to attribute risk management to a fear of being sued. We manage risks not because we fear being sued but because we care about the safety of our Scouts. Scouters who complain that safety is just a vague bureaucratic response to fear of litigation they undermine the program as dangerously as the few Scouters who ignore the rules and infamously end up in the newspapers every year. Any Scouter who ignores safety or training because they think them unmanly or craven deserve to get themselves sued and run out of Scouting to boot.

How do we manage risk without compromising the program? First we must eliminate the largely unfounded and wrongheaded assumption that Safe Scouting is based on fear of litigation.

For example Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat training are common sense approaches to managing the some potentially dangerous activities. They were developed to keep our Scouts from drowning. Most of us are not lifeguards or a skilled boaters so we had better know what  dangers there are and how to avoid them.

Managing risk and maintaining program integrity is a sometimes delicate balance. We succeed when our actions are based on knowledge, training and experience rather than fear or a distain for the rules.

The Accident Prone Outdoorsman

Author and Instructor Peter Kummerfeldt conducts outdoor safety skills seminars for his company OutdoorSafe. he writes:

The tendency to hold optimistic opinions of our ability seems to be a part of human nature. No one wants to be “average,” we want to believe that we are “better than average.”  The belief that “I will never find myself in a survival situation” compounds the problem... we read the reports, see the mistakes, and increasingly believe that accidents only happen to the foolhardy, the incompetent, and the accident prone – the other guy!

Is it possible that all of those that people who get in trouble in the outdoors are fool hardy, incompetent and accident prone? I think not!

The cold hard reality is that we all make mistakes and anyone of us could find ourselves in a survival situation at any time especially if we approach our outdoor activities with arrogant over-confidence.

What kinds of situations am I talking about that produce most mistakes? There are many but they generally involve some combination of the following ingredients: a tired cold, dehydrated person, a desire to continue when continuing on is ill advised, inclement weather, inadequate clothing, inexperience, lack of training and the overwhelming desire to be reunited with family members and other loved ones. Look for these ingredients as they creep into your activities and be aware that they can dramatically impact your ability to function safely in the outdoors.

Surviving a crisis begins with the realization and acceptance of the fact that “somewhere, sometime you might end up spending an unplanned night out” and if you accept that premise then it follows that you would want to make that night out as comfortable as possible. You must prepare. You must consider a worst-case scenario. You must evaluate the risks and ask yourself if you are sufficiently prepared to cope with those risks. Play the “what if game” as in “What if I get lost and have to spend a night or two out?” Preparation does not guarantee that you will survive but it won’t hurt your chances of surviving a life threatening event.

I also like how Kummerfeldt expands on avoiding panic when lost - “Sit down. Get off your feet. You can’t walk if you’re sitting on your butt!. Have a drink of water. Eat something. Sit there for thirty minutes allowing the adrenaline to subside."

Peter's book Surviving a Wilderness Emergency is on my reading list.

Surviving a Wilderness Emergency available at Amazon.

The Island Will be There Tommorrow

Several years ago a local Scout Troop ( I swear it wasn't us) suffered through a period of infamy they flipped several canoes while paddling in some heavy weather and had to be rescued.

On this year's trip to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Eighteen Scouts and leaders in two crews chose a route to match the abilities of our most inexperienced paddlers. During our third day of paddling we portaged into one of Algonquin's larger lakes, Big Trout. The big lakes can kick up some good sized swells that make paddling difficult and dangerous. We entered Big Trout from a creek with the wind blowing towards us (some veterans of several canoe trips swear we always have the wind in our teeth no matter what our direction.)

The rough conditions were clearly above the abilities of the paddlers. We headed immediately for the shelter of an island to regroup and consider our options. The first crew on the lake was an hour or so ahead. By radio we learned they had encountered very difficult paddling and swamped one canoe . They had wisely holed up in the nearest campsite about 3/4 of a mile away from us.

As we sheltered on the island a storm front came running down on us from the northwest. We set up our tarp, sat on our PFD's (to insulate us from a possible lightening strike) and waited out a violent thunderstorm. As soon as the storm abated we made the brief paddle to the other crew and joined them in their campsite.

Shortly another wave of thunderstorms started building. Out came the tarps and we hunkered down for another storm. A huge, beautiful and frighteningly awesome wall cloud followed (see above). We later learned that our outfitters base (about 15 miles downwind of us as the crow flies) lost electricity for several days as a result of the same storm.

That afternoon we were treated to quite a show as the storm system passed rapidly overhead. Weather records for the day indicate a massive thunderstorm with winds of close to thirty miles an hour. We saw whitecaps on the lake most of the day.

A mile and a quarter across the lake lay one of our favorite campsites - an island that we had stayed on two years before. We stood on shore and looked longingly across the lake. Lightening was seen and heard a few miles away on all sides of us. The storm had largely passed and our path to the island looked calm.

At that point we had to decide whether to stay in our present, cramped campsite or strike out for the day's goal just a quick hop across the lake. We stayed put.

My fellow adviser from the other crew and I made the call to stay because we had only two or three hours of daylight, lightening was still threatening and actually striking in the distance. We made the best of our cramped conditions and left the island for the next morning. We were safe, mostly dry and a bit disappointed.

Thankfully we were experienced enough to ignore a fleeting feeling of failure, of having been a bit too cautious and a driving desire to move on bravely despite the obvious signs that such bravery may be foolish.

The next day we made our island goal through some challenging wind conditions but all arrived safe and dry. We'll never know what would have happened had we decided to paddle the day before. Perhaps nothing, perhaps a swamped canoe or two, perhaps someone struck by lightening.

We put safety and prudence ahead of the goal. We adjusted to the conditions, we were prepared and we arrived home tired, but uninjured (well one adult got a black eye from a paddle when his canoe swamped but he was almost proud of it). We remembered our safety afloat and hazardous weather training.  Most Importantly our scouts got home safe.

Heat Index

Keeping cool can be a monumental challenge, or a physical impossibility, when the heat index soars.
Perspiration dissipates heat through evaporation. Increased humidity (more moisture in the air) decreases the rate of evaporation and, in turn, our ability to keep cool.

R. G. Steadman's  1979 paper titled "The assessment of sultriness," factors 20 different variables 20 factors in determining how the heat feels. Clothing, body size, level of activity, air temperature, humidity, and dew point to name a few.

NOAA uses a simplified formula factoring air temperature and humidity to determine the heat index we hear and see brodcast in most weather reports;

As our ability to keep cool decreases the danger of heat related injuries increase. There are a few simple precautions that will prevent these difficulties;

1. Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water. Avoid caffine as it promotes dehydration. Consider a sports drink that repalces the elements lost through perspiration if intense work or play in the heat is over an hour or two.
2. Wear loose fitting, light colored clothing.
3. Avoid sunburn, it significantly decreases the ability of the bidy t keep cool. Use sunscreen, wear a hat and stay out of the sun.
4. Take it slow. Adjust the pace of activities to the weather.
5. Avoid the hottest part of the day, late afternoon, and paln strenuous activities for early morning and evening.

Storm Over Everest

Rick Curtis at the Outdoor Ed Community blog recommends the Frontline documentary Storm over Everest as a study in risk management. (A preview of the show is embedded above)

If you missed the spectacular Frontline documentary on PBS by David Breashears on the 1996 Everest tragedy you can watch the full two hour episode online at Frontline. There are also interviews with expedition members and interactive maps of the mountain and the accident. The documentary is a fantastic case study in risk management, judgment and decision making and is highly recommended as a staff training tool.

The full documentary is no longer available for viewing on line. It is scheduled to be released in September on DVD and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.

I am planning to use the documentary as a leadership training tool.