June 12, 2008
Albany - 'Be prepared' is not only a motto to the Boy Scouts, it's a lifestyle. Before any camp, leaders must scout out shelters in case bad weather hits.
The young Cub Scouts we talked to like to have fun. But with that fun comes a certain amount of safety.
Cub Scout Matt Williams said, "Taking the safety off, so if you accidentally pull the trigger, it won't go so you can't shoot somebody or something."
In everything they do, from playing on the play ground to shooting guns,safety is on the forefront of their minds. "We are prepared," said Executive Director Jay Allen.
Sadly, being prepared isn't always enough, as seen in the terrible tragedy of the Iowa tornado, but these scouts always have an emergency plan.
As much as goggles are a part of safety when the Scouts are shooting BB's, shelters are part of the safety plan for any boy scout camp.
District Executive Aaron Bensonhaver said, "If in the event we have any inclement weather whatsoever, we have a shelter that will take care of any rain issues and if the weather gets worse, if there's hail, anything like that, we have a large cinder block building we can go into."
And if that shelter isn't quite enough, all Scouts are taught how to come to the aid of those who may be hurt.
Executive Director Allen said, "all our scouts are taught basic first aid skills and as they progress through the scouting program, those skills become more advanced as they advance up in the ranks."
And help is only a matter of minutes away. "Every season we send out letters and get written confirmation that they're ready to respond from the local hospitals and emergency response units."
So these kids keep having fun, with safety first.
Camp Osborn, the Boy Scout camp in Worth County, was hit by a tornado about ten years ago. Fortunately, no one was there at the time.
Weather radios are also at all scout camps to alert scouts and their leaders of bad weather headed in their direction.
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