Emergency Prep

[Stosh 3452]

I'm back and I going to go into a loooong rant.

 

I just got back from 2 Red Cross disaster operations, one in Louisiana and another in South Carolina.  In Louisiana I was doing bulk distribution of relief supplies into the flooded neighborhoods with a 16' box truck.  I handed out a number of items to people who needed them.  I had one place where we stopped a young boy about 14-16 years of age came up and asked for a complete package of relief aid and hauled it off.  No problem.  A few minutes later he came back and asked for the same thing.  Red Cross never refuses aid under any circumstances so I gave him everything again.  He returned a third time and I gave him the full load again, but I watched him carefully.  He went over to a house and knocked on the door and after a short conversation, left the stuff on the porch.  He came back again a 4th time and got a load.  But this time he went to a different house, knocked, talked and left the stuff on the porch.  He kept coming back and I never saw him go to the same house twice.  I was impressed to say the least.  Many times I saw other young boys and girls doing a ton of stuff that made my trip to that area of the country. 

 

This past two weeks, I did sheltering.  In South Carolina there are evacuation routes and shelters marked along the road.  I was assigned one of these shelters to setup, run and clean up.  I had only one other Red Cross worker.  I had to put up signage, ready the shelter and put up 200 cots for the people seeking refuges from the hurricane.  The shelter was in a local high school of a small town, and the high school football team showed up in force to help set up cots, distribute blankets and get ready for the storm.  Afterwards when they heard we were shutting down operations they returned to clean, sanitize and repackage cots for the next time.  They were a God-send!  The two of us Red Cross people would never have been able to shelter the 146 people who showed up.

 

These are but two specific events that renewed my faith in the younger generation of today!

 

The only thing that concerned me was that with all the TALK of what scouting is all about, I did not see one scout uniform, I did not see even one necker, I had no one from BSA come up to me and say, "What can we do to help?"

 

I have heard others talk about looking for opportunities to get their sleeves rolled up and into the fray, yet when the time comes, it's a no-show.  As a Red Cross volunteer, there is never enough hands to cover everything needed at a time like this. 

 

Sure the Red Cross has the financial resources to send people from all over the country, My eventual staff ended up with people from California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Maryland and Massachusetts.  Yet the local volunteers, even shelter residents themselves came out in droves and stepped up and helped.  In the storm cleanup of hurricane Matthew I saw a ton of people out clearing roads of fallen trees, cleaning up parks and getting their neighborhoods back into livable condition, but no uniforms and no neckers.

 

I know the BSA talks the talk, but do they walk the walk?

[qwazse 4346]

I don't scour the 'net for feel-good stores about troops/crews showing up for disaster relief, so I can't counter your observations. But I'll speculate that your odds of seeing what you're looking for have slimmed over the years for two reasons:

1. The uniform is now too precious to wear while serving. The notion of wearing just your neckerchief when you risk mussing your uni has not caught on. The notion that being in uniform might identify you as one ready to serve is completely lost on scouts. (Tangent: some scouts asked if they should wear their uniform backpacking this weekend. I said, "Nobody's going to make you, but I reserve patches from my collection for boys who do.")
2. Membership declines actually do mean something. The odds have titled against running into a card-carrying BSA member, youth or adult, especially in the southeast. You are more likely to find a boy or girl in the civil air patrol these days. Seriously, @@Stosh, you are the first person who ever told me about that organization first-hand. Since then I've met a couple young men who joined and enjoy it (advantage of this forum: you actually learn stuff that helps you talk to youth).

We can also speculate that the "free market" design of troop selection has conspired against this sort of thing. If your troop meets on the opposite side of town, and your neighbors are in the gulch across the street, mobilizing the troop might by on the bottom of your E-prep strategies. If instead, BSA somehow encouraged boys to bolster the troop nearest their home and all boys were within walking distance of the scout house... that could make rallying your mates easier.

Edited October 19, 2016 by qwazse

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

Yes, I lament the lack of uniforms when Scouts do service. But as mentioned service work and work do not mix. Unless it's in a secured area like running a shelter. I remember in 1999 catching the last flight out of Nashville, which was the day before the All Hands Conference ended, going home getting a few items, and going to an evacuation shelter because the OA did that as a community project. Don't know why they stopped, but a local troop picked up the reigns.

[MattR 2660]

It might also be that scout help is not wanted. We had a flood here a few years ago and I couldn't find anyone that wanted our entire troop to help. The reason is they would only take people that were 15 or older. We did get a few scouts to help but it wasn't through scouts. We finally did find a way to help back at a distribution center. Setting up cots and stuff like that would have been perfect, but nobody had anything like that.

 

Did you call the local council and ask for help?

[Stosh 3452]

The people who did show up to ask if they could help did identify themselves.  We had some discussion on units wanting to be involved with fire departments, chuches (CO's), to provide assistance.

 

I took an online course of the Red Cross on Sheltering Fundamentals and next week I will be trained in the practical portion.    I got thrown into the situation as shelter manager (2 grades up from my position) when we opened 27 shelters with 34 volunteers before the hurricane hit.  Safety concerns were not a problem before or after,  Families are responsible for themselves during that time of the storm.  No problem.  When the high school football team showed up, I did not ask questions about age, just pointed to a stack of boxed cots and the boys did the rest.  I did not have any time to contact anyone from the local council, but maybe the local council could have contacted units to offer up some help.  Saying "no can do, thanks anyway" and saying, "YES! I have things for you to do!" are two different issues.

 

After the storm there were safety issues with downed power lines and other hazards, but serving up 150 MRE's in the shelter twice a day in the dark would have been something the boys could do.

 

As far as safety is concerned inside the shelter was far better than any place else in the whole town.  I have never seen such destruction, yet I got everyone through with no safety issues involved.

 

I did meet other former scouts and scouters, but not currently registered because I wore a BSA T-shirt under my Red Cross vest and they commented many times.

 

These types of things could easily be identified in such areas prior to any disaster.  Red Cross partners with Federal, State, community and faith based organizations all the time.  BSA could inquiring into that as well.  Venturing Crew members would have been perfect in many places.

Edited October 19, 2016 by Stosh

[desertrat77 1144]

The BSA used to help during disasters.   But not much since the '70s or so.   I think the BSA as a whole has moved away from such service.

 

However, I agree with Stosh, Venture Crews would be ideal.   Helping those in need is Job 1, but it sure doesn't hurt to generate good PR and community goodwill.

 

No need to wear the uniform.  A bright tshirt with BSA and a fdl might be the ticket.

 

Kudos @@Stosh for "walking the walk" and helping those in need.

Edited October 19, 2016 by desertrat77

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

Well we just got asked to help fill sandbags that will be used to fix a dam breeched by Matthew. I won't be wearing a uniform, but definately a Scout T-shirt.

[RememberSchiff 3686]

A scout cannot get credit for camping unless it is a scout camping activity but he can get scout community service credit whether he identifies himself visually or verbally as a scout.

 

Maybe scouts trained in emergency services (Red Cross, FEMA CERT?) earn a special full size square BSA necker when responding. Red necker with white cross?  

 

Helping others is more important than uniform but if scouts want to log these hours I think they should wear at least a necker.

 

My $0.02,

[qwazse 4346]

A scout cannot get credit for camping unless it is a scout camping activity but he can get scout community service credit whether he identifies himself visually or verbally as a scout.

 

Maybe scouts trained in emergency services (Red Cross, FEMA CERT?) earn a special full size square BSA necker when responding. Red necker with white cross?  

 

Helping others is more important than uniform but if scouts want to log these hours I think they should wear at least a necker.

 

My $0.02,

Non sequitur... scout doesn't have to wear uniform during campouts to count them. Why should he have to wear it for service hours.

But, then again, why should he have to count service hours at all?

Maybe we have a nation of boys who want to serve out of their free will, and don't want BSA hogging their work for bragging rights.

[RememberSchiff 3686]

Non sequitur... scout doesn't have to wear uniform during campouts to count them. Why should he have to wear it for service hours.

But, then again, why should he have to count service hours at all?

Maybe we have a nation of boys who want to serve out of their free will, and don't want BSA hogging their work for bragging rights.

To get scout camping credit it has to be a scout activity - scout troop campout, scout summer camp. No doubt uniform or not, they are scouts. Do I agree with this restriction? No, but given that, it seems inconsistent to me for scouts not to identify themselves and then seek scout service hours credit especially on that Good Turn website. If scouts, uniformed or not,. want to serve and not seek credit, all the better. Hi-Yo Silver.

 

Scouting is mostly invisible in our communities. Remember when scouts could be seen in uniform walking to and from scout meetings?

[Stosh 3452]

From the time I leave the house until I get back I wear my Red Cross ID card around my neck.  Once I get to my deployment destination I wear my Red Cross vest so everyone knows my function in the area.  Out of all the people needing help its the only way to let them know who those people are who are there to serve their needs.

 

I can assure you that the young boys who came into the shelter to help set up cots, etc. did not wear their football uniforms, but they, as a group identified who they were and why they were there.

 

If a scout were to come in uniform, just a necker or identified himself to me as a scout, I would have taken the name of his SM and troop # and made sure a special thanks went out on his behalf to those who mentored him.  As a SM he would get service hour credit and no one would have to know his generosity unless he himself said something to others.  Yet as SM I would want to know I was doing a good job in my troop knowing boys like him were part of my troop.

 

I don't participate in BSA, ARC or any other organization for the credit, I do it because I need to pay back and pay forward for all those who were there when I needed it.  The thank you's and hugs from those I serve are credit enough.

[RichardB 220]

When the emergency prep award was revised in 2014, it recognizes local training.     Curious, if anyone has a unit or other group working on this.    If not, why not.   Should it go away?    

 

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/New%20CategoryReference.aspx 

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

@@Richard

 

I don't think the award is well known. Plus looking at the requirements, a lot of them should already be done. Looks like more paperwork and more bling to me. But I'm an old fogey, going to need to ask the Scouts about this. Going to have the opportuity to today with the troop that ran an ARC shelter during Matthew.

 

All,

 

While part of it is paying it back/paying it forward, for me it is a job that needs doing, and if I am capable, I'm there. But I admit, my family comes first, want to make sure they are OK, then my job. Very interesting past 2 weeks at work since we dealt with Matthew issues. We had to convert one large room into an impromptu evac shelter since some of my coworkers were stranded, and other would have to make a 2+ hour one-way commute with all the road closings! Thankfully we got a good team. Those stranded at the hospital took shifts for those who were stranded at their homes or ARC shelters.

[qwazse 4346]

@@RichardB, what does the "award" do that being a first class scout does not? And if it does that, is there something wrong with 1st class rank requirements?

 

Maybe, just maybe, if BSA and it's trained adult lackeys would stop saying things like:

"Track your service hours."

"There's a patch for that."

"Log on the website."

"Here's the paperwork."

"Make sure it's a troop campout."

 

... the boys would spend less time filtering the noise and be able to hear "Keep your uni (or at least your necker) at the ready, folks will count on you if they see you're a scout."

[RichardB 220]

It's an award, it's not advancement and it is available to more than just those at the boy scout level.   I guess you could assume that the boy scout program does include emergency prep, but have no idea what the rest of your point is trying to be.    

 

Don't want a pin, don't have to do the award.