Back Pack

Sorry if this is in the wrong place. I've never posted here before. I was curious how many scout groups in the UK work on this award. I suspect if they do they have adults with them, right?

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/29/search-launched-for-group-teens-who-disappeared-in-welsh-mountains.html?intcmp=hplnws

Not the new requirements, but should give you a start: http://www.pioneeringprojects.org/NCS/staff/1stYear1stClassREVISED2006.pdf

This looks like it is taught by adults. Is that the intent?

My troop has our boys teach the skills with patrol leaders signing off. They plan what will be covered themselves but they do follow a plan of sorts. Certainly nothing like this. I'm not sure you 13 year old scouts could follow this plan. I could barely make sense of it. I guess we are behind the times.

You "just happen to carry" albuterol (a controlled prescription drug) and a nebulizer? 

We carry it for two Scouts that require it. The EMT on our team gave it to the Scout with the parent's consent. It was either that or a very expensive trip to the ER since they did not have insurance that covered such things.

We had a parent fill out their son's form as usual. They didn't really sit down and think through the child's health, they just completed the form and turned it in. Turns out the young man was allergic to molds and had previously been diagnosed with asthma. He had a severe reaction on a trip many hours from home where he was nearly anaphylactic. Thanks to our EMT/ASM he was given some Benadryl and later Albuterol via a portable nebulizer we happen to carry and he was all better. When we got back home his parents were all like, "Oh yeah, I guess I should have put that on his form." This is why we review each med form, color code them and make sure the adults know such things. It helps having medical professionals on staff that can help organize these things. And we do read the med forms.

Man you guys post a lot here. I only get a chance in the mid morning to check things and then have to get back to work. I can't keep up with all the topics and stuff. 

I went to school in Christiansburg. Love that area and the Blue Ridge Mountains! I am originally from the Midwest so being in such beautiful country for several years was wonderful.... I sure do miss it.

Do you know the Mockingbird Cafe? Best desserts in Christiansburg. When we go hiking we usually get picked up just east of town and go there for dessert.

Dickey's is a bit south of me. I am closer to Lexington.

Sorry didn't see this area until just now. I am new here and don't have much time to do anything beyond asking questions, so sorry. I live in Virginia in the southwest part of the state in the Blue Ridge mountains. We usually go to Goshen for summer camp and tend to do a lot of hiking along the AT. I am a new scoutmaster of a troop of about 50 scouts from all over. We are large for our area. That's about it. I apologize in advance for the many questions I may ask.

Stuff happens.  He could have handed it in on time and someone still missed that detail.  I've seen that happen too.  People collected and inspected the form, but a key detail was missed.  Or a detail they thought was not that important.  

 

If the above parent was mad at the scoutmaster, then I bet that parent has been mad at other leaders and/or the scoutmaster at other times too.

A person who misses deadlines and does not respect other people's time doesn't really have the right to get mad at anyone other than himself as far as I am concerned. I do not like conflict so I tend to stay out of such things. I think he should be mad at himself. If he chooses to do things on his own he runs the risk of having to jump through more hoops to get things done. We go far away for camp so he was 10 hours from home. If he wants to waste his time I guess that's up to him but he can't be mad at other people. That's just not right in my opinion.

We had a parent who did not have a current tetanus and the form was turned in the day of departure. We had told him repeatedly that missing our deadline would mean we could not confirm his compliance with the camp policy. Come check in the camp director would not let him attend camp. He had to drive four hours to a clinic that would give him his shot and proof thereof. He missed two days of camp but had the audacity to be made at our scoutmaster for him missing camp.

We have gone to a local outfitter near New River Gorge to do our high adventure. We are in Virginia so that was easy and close. I hear Camp Daniel Boone has a white water program but we have never been.

What is the difference between a real deadline and an arbitrary one? If a troop leader says they want all medical forms turned in one month before camp departure so they can make sure all forms are properly filled out and ready for presentment to the summer camp director upon arrival, is his an arbitrary deadline or a real deadline? I am no expert but if I ask for forms on a specific date it is because I have looked at the work load and timeline, as well as my personal schedule, to determine when I need the forms so that my work is complete. This way I can make sure that every scout registered for camp will not be turned away because mom or dad didn't realize that a current tetanus shot was required. You can't get a shot the day of departure. Besides why inconvenience the other 40 scouts and parents that can follow directions?

I keep my laptop in my day pack too. I have a computer locking cable to secure the laptop and day pack to a table, tree or other secure feature. I also use a 2 gallon zip lock to keep it dry. I have a Sea to Summit sleeve too which keeps it dry and protected. I never leave it in a car or other area that might get too hot. I have seen components melt or be degraded by solar heat. If you camp has wifi ask what kind of connection they have. If they have satellite their bandwidth may be metered and get used up with all the parents online. Best to work offline and get on when you actually need to send/receive. Not everyone does that so bandwidth dries up pretty fast.

Another logjam is that many scouts have their annual physical at the start of the summer to accommodate summer sport camps and fall school requirements.

 

Not uncommon here to send scouts soon-to-expire BSA Health form to Council in May/June only to have the scout bring his new Health form to camp in July/Aug.

We had this problem too. One of our parents who is a nurse administrator hit upon a great idea which we use to this day. We recharter in January so we collect all applications and med forms (all parts) as part of the recharter process. For us that starts in late October through mid-December. We collect parts A-C and keep them on file. If anyone's part C will expire before summer camp or high adventure outings we let the family know so they can get an updated physical. This process also gives us 6 months to fix any problems (missing or outdated tetanus, incomplete immunization record, improperly filled out forms). This process has worked great for us and significantly decreased the administrative time preparing for camps.

For that hard deadline approach to work, you need adult support both at the troop and council level. That is rare. In two different units, I have had last-minute parents, who missed the deadline, appeal directly to Council. Council was only too happy to ignore their own deadline and take the money. So a deadline did not matter.

We had council do that once. Council made an exception and allowed the parents to submit the paperwork at camp the day of arrival. They realized real quick that this parent could not read and follow directions. The immunizations were not filled in, the tetanus was not current and the kid did not have the right gear. The camp director stepped in and overruled the council and the scout was not admitted. Hate to see that happen but if his mom and dad had followed directions he would not have missed out on camp.

Question:  Does anyone have any suggestions, techniques, or processes that the troop can use to help in the timely collection of paperwork?

We had the same problem until we said one simple phrase: "If your properly completed paperwork is not in by xx/xx/xxxx then you cannot go. Monies paid will not be refunded." We give them the paperwork in January. We have multiple information meetings in February and March where we review how to fill out the paperwork properly. We give them a completed form as a guide. We show them where to get certain information like immunization records. We do everything short of fill it out for them. The forms are required to be in by May 15th since we go to camp in the middle of July. If the forms are not in by the end of May, you don't go. We put this process in five years ago and we have only had two people miss out in all that time.

 You may wish to have anyone using an older version of the AHMR update them or at least contact the ranch and confirm.  I'd hate to see folks have a bad intake experience.   

Thank you. I have told them of this issue but they assured me they are fine. I sent your comment to their scoutmaster so he is aware of the official form to use so perhaps he can get them to change their mind.

I might be wrong but doesn't BSA prohibit the use of closed electronic groups that include youth and adults together? I think I heard that at university of scouting this year but I am no expert.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx is the one source of truth for all things medical record.    

 

"they" haven't had a D for quite some time, at least two full camp cycles:)      

 

There are risk advisories for each high adventure base, along with a template for a council to use should they want to develop their own.   

Thank you for posting this information. There was conflicting information coming out of the troops in my town so I went to this website for the official word. We are going to Philmont next month with another troop and they are using an old copy of the form which has a Part D. Our troop is using this form which has a link from the site mentioned above. I hope the other troop does not have problems using the wrong form.

We pay $10. I don't do much else so I cannot say. We do have events that have minor costs around $10 or maybe as high $25.