A question of supervision (WOSM)

This question came up the other night in our Troop committee meeting,
and I would like to throw it out to the list for a "What would you
have done in this case?"

At our Camporee the weekend before last, this incident happened the
night we arrived at camp. I had been to the staff area to check in,
and returned to the Troop area to retrieve my gear. (I am generally
on staff.) After checking with some of the other ASMs about the
plans for the next day, I went to where the car was parked that had
my gear. I happend to walk by the campsite fire-ring, and noticed
a circle of about 7 Webelos "pyromaniacs" playing with the fire.
All of them with the durning twiggs that they were waving around.
After ascertaining that there were _no_ Boy Scouts involved, I
reminded the boys that they were not behaving responsibly with the
fire. (OK, Jerry, so I "got on their cases". Happy now?)

Turning around from that, I saw somthing that made my hair stand on
end. A group of five boys, none in uniform, tightly clustered
around while one of them flailed away at a tree limb with a hand
axe. The fact that he wasn't using the axe properly was only part
of it. The other boys were so close around him that more than one
was in immediate danger of being hit (in the face) by the axe. I
started tworad them just in time to hear "Put your foot on it." from
one of the other boys. At that point, I yelled "Stop" loud enough
that everyone in our site, and 3 adjacent ones stopped to see what
was wrong.

Seeing a boy that looked like one of the new scouts, I asked them
if there was a Boy Scout present in the group. This little fellow
raised his hand. So, I started on him, as being a Boy Scout he
should be setting an example and should know better than to let that
happen. I assigned him the section on proper axmanship to read, and
to report to the acting SM with his report by the end of the next
day. At that point, "Irate Webelos Father" appeared and demanded to
know who in the 7734 I was and why was I ragging on his kid?

I explained the situation to the father, and the axe was put away.
Presumably to stay there. Then I modified the report a bit to be
given to the Den, and suggested that all the rest involved (who by
this time had scattered to the four corners of the earth) should do
the same. I _did_ explain to the boy that the _only_ reason that I
focused on him was that he said he was a Boy Scout.

At the committee meeting, I was criticized by the "acting" SM for
interferring because the boy's father was right there. My point was
that someone could still have been hurt, dad or no dad watching, and
the Troop didn't need a trip to the emergency room with a Webelos with
an axe cut to the foot or head.

So, the question is, in a Troop/Pack camping situation, should a SM or
an ASM "interfere" with the Pack kids when a father is "there";
1. In _no_ case?;
2. Only in matters of safety?; or
3. In matters of Troop or BSA policy, also?

No, I'm not in trouble. Just need some reassurance.

YiS,

Chuck Bramlet, ASM Troop 323
Thunderbird District, Grand Canyon Council, Phoenix, Az.

I "used to be" an Antelope! (and a good ol' Antelope, too...) WEM-10-95
Please E-mail any replies to: >> chuckb@aztec.asu.edu <<
Member DNRC
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