TI_Lifeguard

Thankfully enough, all we have had are sightings so far, no attacks... but definitely enough sightings to be sure that the dogs are actually there.

The Ranger's work area is nowhere near the area in question, although he does keep his shotgun handy for dog control during the off season (when there aren't campers around, these dogs have been spotted in the main camp areas, including right outside my staff area, the better part of 2 miles from where they confine themselves during the "on season").

The good thing about "feral dogs" and I use this in the literal sense of dogs that are descended from runaway domestic dogs is that so far they've been more afraid of us than we are of them, and they don't seem to form packs as well as some other kinds of canines.(This message has been edited by TI_Lifeguard)

I know that many of you look at the G2SS as the be all and end all for any sort of health and safety arguement, but I believe that it comes up short in that it does not provide any sort of distinction between the use/posession of handguns for "program" and "protection" reasons for the majority of scout leaders.

The G2SS bans any use of handguns as part of a program event for non-Venture Scouts. I do not agree with this in every case, but I have no problem following it, nor any real desire to see it changed.

My objection is to the blanket ban on scout leaders' carry of legal firearms for defense. Despite the fact that in many states it is very easy for an adult to get a concealed weapons permit, if one is required at all, the sole exception in the G2SS for an armed scouter would be if he or she was a sworn officer of the peace and required to be armed at all times.

I understand that there are laws that make lawful concealed carry impossible in certain places (like military bases, national parks (not national forests)etc...) but that could be dealt with by using a guideline like "in accordance with all local state or federal laws".

I bring this up because there are parts of the scout reservation where I work in which I am not at all comfortable after dark because of a feral dog habitation. My billet in Aquatics does not require me to stay up there, but my friends in the Scoutcraft and First Year programs have to stage their weekly overnighters within 150-200 yards of a known den of these animals, and my friends in COPE have seen them from their course in broad daylight. If one asks a staffer from the areas that work in the hinterlands of the reservation, one can hear all manner of stories of sightings of these animals.

No Ranger that I have met has been able to wipe out these dogs or drive them completely into the backwoods (where no summer camp program at all happens). All they have been able to accomplish is to keep them sufficiently afraid of humans to avoid the main areas of camp.

A large dog is a formidable opponent for a knife-armed human, and the only tactic I have found for that scenario acknowledges that the human is gonna get badly hurt... basically it's "slit his throat while he's busy chomping your weak arm". Given this, I do not believe it unreasonable at all for the staffers and adults who have to work near the known habitat of these animals to be given the choice to carry concealed handguns for the protection of themselves or their charges, subject to a safety briefing by the ranger and shooting sports director of course.

What are your thoughts on this?

Hi, I just logged in today and I figured I might as well introduce myself.

I am a 17 year old campstaff member Eagle Scout from Treasure Island SR, the oldest scout camp in the country. My list of awards includes:

Eagle Scout, with Gold Palm

Brotherhood Member, Unami Lodge, 1

Lifeguard BSA

4 years as a patrol leader with Troop 109, St. Helena's, Philadelphia

3 years on staff at TISR

Senior Lifeguard at TISR

12 years in scouting

Arrow of Light

I'm still trying to decide what to do when I turn 18 in a few months. I might transfer to Venture or Sea Scouts, or I might become an adult leader, I'm not sure

Fat_Old_Guy...

I was just wondering because one of my ASMs adopted Fat Old Guy as his nickname (FOG for short) during the last jambo. nevermind.

Hey Fat Old Guy, you wouldn't happen to have been an ASM with Jambo Troop 439 last time around, would you?

My conversation left me with very little information ("it's yellow" and "it looks gay" were the only concrete descriptions) but it did not seem like he could have been refering to the current uniform. The scout in question had worked at his council camp for a few seasons, so presumably he would already have (multiple) class A's from that gig.

I was just chilling with an older scout (camper) up on the COPE course this week when he started complaining about his council (one of the NY state councils).

He says that they are goin to a new A for the jambo next year, and he was complaining about how he was gonna be required to buy the new uniforms by next year.

Is national going to a new A soon? if so, are there pics of it anywhere?

RE: BSA Uniform terms...

Most of my campstaff would not have the slightest idea what a BSA "field" uniform is... To us it's always "Class A" and "Class B". Ditto for my troop. :-p