Emergency aid skills are one of the eight Outdoor Adventure Skill areas that form a major component of Scouts Canada’s “Canadian Path” program. We started working on the Aquatic Skills area at our swim night in late October, and during November and December we will be working with the Cubs on a number of requirements for the first two or three levels of emergency aid skills (each skill area is divided into nine levels, with the higher levels intended for Scouts, Venturers and Rovers). Among the requirements we will be working on are:
Assembling a basic first aid kit
Demonstrating basic first aid skills, such as treating minor injuries and burns
Ability to call and give appropriate information to emergency services
Signaling for help when lost outdoors
Fire safety, including safety around a campfire
Development of a home escape plan
One of the ways in which parents can help in this aspect of our program is by working with your Cub to put together a basic first aid. (Please do this with them, NOT for them.) You can choose any appropriate container, and the contents should include the following:
For level 1: a list of emergency numbers, disposable vinyl gloves of an appropriate size, an emergency thermal blanket, 5–10 adhesive bandages (Band-Aids™), pencil and paper
For level 2: Add 5–10 gauze pads, 1 roll of medical tape, a triangular bandage, roller gauze
Other items can be added if you wish, as long as the kit does not get too large. The Cubs will be bringing these along to camp and on other outings.
More information on the requirements for the Emergency Skills badge levels can be found online at http://www.scouts.ca/canadianpath/download/oas/emergency-skills-en.pdf. Please note that the nine badge levels are intended to go all the way up to Rovers (ages 18-26). It would be a rare Cub who could get beyond level 4 or 5.
This is one way in which parents can contribute to their child’s growth and development in Scouting. We’ll be letting you know about others as the year progresses.
