Re: Don't lose your textbook,
Jess Olonoff (jolonoff@GATE.NET)
Tue, 30 Jan 1996 16:28:22 -0500
Hugh and all,
I think you have to look at this as two sides of the same coin.
Training to respond in emergency situations need not be as dangerous as
the situations themselves. FireFighters do not start their training by
running into a burning building. There are also some situations that
should only be performed by trained professionals. Knowing what not to
do can often be as important as knowing what to do.
In training we should try to give the most emphasis on what is most likely
to ocurr, in other words for accidents and emergencies that happen the most
often.
Naturally, these would be accidents in the home, at school or at our work
place. OSHA would I suspect be a very good place to get information on
safety and health in the workplace as this is what they do. They would
not be very good at telling you what to do for a fellow employee
suffering a heart attack, however.
As far as rescues at sea or in whitewater I believe you must do the best
you can with the program we have. That is why Swimming and Lifesaving
and First Aid were required items. They give the boys the basic tools
for various types of emergencies. As to making the decision to jump in
and help or run for help, we can hardly train for that. There is no
"Guts" merit badge to my knowledge. We can try to build character in the
kids and self-esteem but bravery must come from within each of us.
Any type of unusual or difficult activity should require its own
additional training and of course additional emergency training.
In Hugh's stories this was probably the case and is probably what
accounted for those lives being saved.
YiS, Jess
Jess Olonoff, CM Pack-206 | Eagle - 1970, T-10 Tulsa, Okla.
Riverglades Elem. - Parkland, Fla. | Ta-Tsu-Hwa - Ordeal '69, Brthrhd '70
Lighthouse Dstrct - S. Fl. Council | Scout in NYC-Brooklyn 61-66, Tulsa 66-71
jolonoff@gate.net | Scouter Boca Raton 73-74, Parkland 94-
http://www.gate.net/~jolonoff | O-Shot-Caw - Lodge 265
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
