fountainhead

I appreciate all the good advice. It's been very helpful to get some perspective on the issue of the moment. It's also good to be reminded to keep the "big picture" in mind (fostering accountability, developing character and leadership, etc.) when dealing with specific issues. This theme is very strong throughout this forum. When I actually stop and consciously remember the core principles, the course to take becomes, if not clear, at least a little less murky.

Roger, As I mentioned, I was hoping to perhaps expand this safety topic beyond just the fire safety aspect. You mentioned you have other clips you use in your "this could happen to you" presentation. What types of things do you show?

Before I weigh in on this issue, I'd just like to say that I have been lurking on this site for several months and have read through a large portion of the year's archives. The discussions are fantastic and have been a great help in moving me along the learning curve and correcting many of my misconceptions of the scouting program. Now to my comment. The issue of fire safety has recently been put on the front burner, so to speak, in our troop. Long story short, several of the younger scouts (11-12 years old, Second Class and below) were taken on a hike by a 15-year old Life ASPL. Conflicting stories, but apparently the ASPL brought along hand sanitizer in a cup that he started on fire. He then probably encouraged, but at least allowed, other scout(s) to spray an aerosol above the flame to create a torch. The fire did not get out of hand and there were no injuries, but several parents are up in arms about this, we have concerns about trusting this scout to lead others and we have had several discussions regarding the appropriate discipline. Several questions: 1) What do you think would be the appropriate action to take with respect to discipline? Remove the scout from his office? Hold him from advancement for X months? Have him complete some sort of project or training to regain trust? Who has the final say on the discipline (parents have been told it is totally within the Scoutmasters discretion the minimal discipline he is coming up with isnt sitting well with some of them)? 2) Since this type of thing has happened before, we have been considering having a presentation on just how dangerous this could have been. There is a video that was developed by the University of Michigan called In an Instant regarding the severe consequences of burn injuries. There is a 5 minute preview available at this address it is pretty sobering ( http://www.traumaburn.org/traumaburn/video/default.asp ). We have been discussing purchasing this video (although I showed just the preview to my 12-year old son, who was not on the campout, and he said this made the point to him). The thought was to present all or part of this to parents and then, with their permission, to the scouts. Would you have any qualms about using the video or this approach? Would you show the video just to older scouts/PLC members/all scouts? Do you know of other resources to address this issue? 3) Does your troop have a formalized program to address safety of scouts (particularly when being led by other scouts)? I dont want to overdo the doom and gloom, but I also think our troop is very lax about certain things (buddy system, having the ten essentials with you when hiking, etc.). We currently camp in the same areas year after year (something that hopefully will change) and the scouts are generally pretty familiar with where they should and shouldnt be, so this hasnt been a huge concern of mine. However, I would like to do something more proactive particularly for that time in the (hopefully) not too distant future when we branch out to unfamiliar territory. How do you address this in your units? How tough are you on enforcing these rules? Thanks in advance.