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2019 GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING


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Thank you...

Great idea,  up here in Mass. only a few high school programs, e.g. Nashoba Regional High School EMT Cadet program, have received an age exception from the state to allow 16yr old EMT trainees. Meanwhile local towns end up contracting with private companies to cover daytime EMS. 

Edited by RememberSchiff
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Scouters, for your reading and compliance.  Here’s the online version. Here’s the link to the downloadable version.

@John-in-KC Please note that the 2019 version Animal and Insect Hazards https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss13/  contains a link to the following reference, please review before working

In #14, it mentions activities where participants shoot/ throw objects AT each other.  In frisbee, baseball, etc, you're not throwing the object AT another player.  You are throwing the object TO them

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Check out Post 53  in Darien CT! Their program is quite old and well developed, but their Post exclusively covers EMS for the entire town and operates three ambulances. According to their website, they just received three new donated ambulances!

They are the subject of a documentary, High School 9-1-1. Check out the trailer and show this next time someone tells you kids can't do anything!

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>Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including meetings.

Hmm, that will be a problem for me as SM when the PLC has their meetings once a month an hour before one of the regular Troop meetings.  Since no other adult leaders are really invited to the PLC meeting, usually I show up and open the door to the church for them to have their PLC meeting, and sit over in the corner of the room while they have their meeting, unless I am asked a question, or feel the need to ask a question, and then I say a few things at the end.  This all happens before any of the rest of the troop shows up and no parents or other adult leaders show up until about the time their PLC meeting is wrapping up.  In a Troop with only a SM, 2 ASMs and a CC this will be a challenge to get another registered leader to show up as well.

I have always followed the old YPT rules and no one-on-one contact, always have at least multiple youth present at all times etc.  But sometimes there are just not other adults present.  Heck, I can even think of a few meetings where for a little while I was the only adult in the building while the only parent there had to run out or something.  We have so many adults that just drop and go these days.  There are times at summer camp where all the other adults are away and I will wander back to our campsite and be the only adult present when some group of boys is there playing cards or something.  Do the adults now need a buddy system at summer camp to make sure there will never be just one of us anywhere there are scouts in addition to making sure there are multiple youth?

This creates more questions such as:

Do I need to start telling the boys they can't have their PLC meeting if no other adults will attend? 

Do I tell them to call their parents to pick them up if the CC is working 2nd shift and one ASM is sick and the other is out of town?

 

 

Edited by ham_solo
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38 minutes ago, ham_solo said:

Do I need to start telling the boys they can't have their PLC meeting if no other adults will attend

Yes.  From the G2SS FAQ

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Q.  If only one leader shows up, does that mean we have to cancel the meeting or activity? 

A. Yes.  This policy is in place to prevent abuse in and out of Scouting.   Adults should never be alone with youth who are not their children.

 

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2 hours ago, ham_solo said:

Do the adults now need a buddy system at summer camp to make sure there will never be just one of us anywhere there are scouts in addition to making sure there are multiple youth?

Under G2SS, no. There are plenty of registered 21+ adults at the summer camp, and summer camp is the “activity.” However, your camp may have specific rules about having X number of leaders in camp that have to be followed.

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Holy cow. This also now means it is only safe to go camping or another outing with FOUR instead of 3 minimum.  

 

With 3 we had enough of someone got hurt and we had to take them back to camp for a twisted ankle or god forbid a hospital or rangers office or something more serious.  Two could go with the scout and maintain two deep, the 3rd adult could stay with the youth and continue the hike etc.  Now you need 4 to handle those situations. 

This is killer for small troops  

 

And I guess if you read this strict the SPL is not allowed to take control of his troop on a hike or even on a walk to the state park playground or something without at least 2 adults along as well.  

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Reporting back ...

I reviewed the Ride Along training for Explorer advisors on my.scouting over the weekend. It is about 25 minutes. In this video two scenarios were presented. One with a law enforcement officer and one with an EMT.

According to this training module, youth Explorers are permitted to ride along, one-on-one, with an adult from the agency. The ride along must be done with an adult who is approved by the agency to serve as a mentor (or I would call them a field training officer) specifically to mentor Explorers.

I plan to recommend to our Post's sponsoring organization to adopt this training as a requirement for agency personnel to be approved for Explorer ride alongs. In addition, our state regulations also require that age 16 and 17 EMTs must partner with another ambulance crew member who is at least 21.

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22 hours ago, ham_solo said:

>Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including meetings.

Hmm, that will be a problem for me as SM when the PLC has their meetings once a month an hour before one of the regular Troop meetings.  Since no other adult leaders are really invited to the PLC meeting, usually I show up and open the door to the church for them to have their PLC meeting, and sit over in the corner of the room while they have their meeting, unless I am asked a question, or feel the need to ask a question, and then I say a few things at the end.  This all happens before any of the rest of the troop shows up and no parents or other adult leaders show up until about the time their PLC meeting is wrapping up.  In a Troop with only a SM, 2 ASMs and a CC this will be a challenge to get another registered leader to show up as well.

 

Don't you also have 2 other committee members?  A CC and 2 CMs are the minimum for a committee.

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40 minutes ago, ham_solo said:

Holy cow. This also now means it is only safe to go camping or another outing with FOUR instead of 3 minimum.  

 

With 3 we had enough of someone got hurt and we had to take them back to camp for a twisted ankle or god forbid a hospital or rangers office or something more serious.  Two could go with the scout and maintain two deep, the 3rd adult could stay with the youth and continue the hike etc.  Now you need 4 to handle those situations. 

This is killer for small troops  

 

And I guess if you read this strict the SPL is not allowed to take control of his troop on a hike or even on a walk to the state park playground or something without at least 2 adults along as well.  


What's even worse is that ASMs (age 18-20) can no longer count as the second registered adult.

Edited by Thunderbird
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3 hours ago, MarkMilliron said:

Reporting back ...

I reviewed the Ride Along training for Explorer advisors on my.scouting over the weekend. It is about 25 minutes. In this video two scenarios were presented. One with a law enforcement officer and one with an EMT.

According to this training module, youth Explorers are permitted to ride along, one-on-one, with an adult from the agency. The ride along must be done with an adult who is approved by the agency to serve as a mentor (or I would call them a field training officer) specifically to mentor Explorers.

I plan to recommend to our Post's sponsoring organization to adopt this training as a requirement for agency personnel to be approved for Explorer ride alongs. In addition, our state regulations also require that age 16 and 17 EMTs must partner with another ambulance crew member who is at least 21.

How old is the video? It may not be updated yet.

 

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3 hours ago, Thunderbird said:


What's even worse is that ASMs (age 18-20) can no longer count as the second registered adult.

 I agree. I am just glad that National decided to make the go live date October 1st, and not the initial "Effective immediately" when it was announced in February. I know as a 18-20 year old ASM, I was the only adult able to saty the entire week of summer camp, and other adults would rotate in and out. Also know of one Philmont Crew where the 2nd Adult  was in the 18-20 year old bracket. It would have seriously screwed up last summer.

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18 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

 I agree. I am just glad that National decided to make the go live date October 1st, and not the initial "Effective immediately" when it was announced in February. I know as a 18-20 year old ASM, I was the only adult able to saty the entire week of summer camp, and other adults would rotate in and out. Also know of one Philmont Crew where the 2nd Adult  was in the 18-20 year old bracket. It would have seriously screwed up last summer.

Yup. We had a at least one outing when I was 18-20 that I counted as the second adult.

Old enough to go die in war, work , but not old enough to count as an actual adult to supervise a group of teenagers camping with another trained adult. 

It's no wonder young adults don't continue on in American Scouting very much. There is no critical role they can do when they turn 18. Why stay doing something you aren't needed for? 

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On 2/24/2019 at 7:55 PM, ham_solo said:

>Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including meetings.

Hmm, that will be a problem for me as SM when the PLC has their meetings once a month an hour before one of the regular Troop meetings.  Since no other adult leaders are really invited to the PLC meeting, usually I show up and open the door to the church for them to have their PLC meeting, and sit over in the corner of the room while they have their meeting, unless I am asked a question, or feel the need to ask a question, and then I say a few things at the end.  This all happens before any of the rest of the troop shows up and no parents or other adult leaders show up until about the time their PLC meeting is wrapping up.  In a Troop with only a SM, 2 ASMs and a CC this will be a challenge to get another registered leader to show up as well.

I have always followed the old YPT rules and no one-on-one contact, always have at least multiple youth present at all times etc.  But sometimes there are just not other adults present.  Heck, I can even think of a few meetings where for a little while I was the only adult in the building while the only parent there had to run out or something.  We have so many adults that just drop and go these days.  There are times at summer camp where all the other adults are away and I will wander back to our campsite and be the only adult present when some group of boys is there playing cards or something.  Do the adults now need a buddy system at summer camp to make sure there will never be just one of us anywhere there are scouts in addition to making sure there are multiple youth?

This creates more questions such as:

Do I need to start telling the boys they can't have their PLC meeting if no other adults will attend? 

Do I tell them to call their parents to pick them up if the CC is working 2nd shift and one ASM is sick and the other is out of town?

 

 

Do we need to start  telling National to stop making it more and more difficult to deliver a program that even resembles  Scoutimg?    

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