Smart Duck Award

[eisely]

Several years ago the commercial operators on America's rivers created what they called the "smart duck award," as distinct from the "dead duck award." The idea was to promote awareness of industrial safety and encourage workers to wear a PFD when working on piers, barges, etc. The award was given to workers who one way or another went into the water wearing a PFD and lived to tell about it. They probably are still making these awards.

 

Well, a scout and I just qualified for this award.

 

We were on another spring break canoe outing on the Colorado River below Hoover Dam in very windy conditions Tusday at noon. The water temperature was 54 degrees. Cutting to the chase, our canoe capsized. We both were pitched into the water and we were both wearing PFDs. Under the wave conditions we were in it took at least 15 minutes before we were pulled into a fisherman's boat. The shores were cliffs and we were at least a quarter of a mile from any place we could have conceivably swam to and pulled ourselves out, even if we could have swam in those conditions. We both were in the early stages of hypothermia by the time we were in the boat. So I think we earned the award.

 

The point of this tale is compliance with scout Health and Safety Policies. Personally I always try to set the example and am mindful of personal liability. Sometimes the requirements are onerous but they exist for a reason. So whether it is a "smart duck" or a "smart climber" or a "smart hiker" award you may someday earn, be safe and be alive.

[Mike Long]

I Mike Long, Scoutmaster of Troop 623, hereby bestow upon Eisely and his canoe buddy the Smart Duck Award.

 

Thanks for the safety reminder. As Scouters we are the ones who set the example. As the old quote goes:

 

What you are doing is so loud I can't hear what you are saying.

 

If we aren't safety minded the boys won't be either.

[Bob Russell]

Eisely, I'm glad you and your scout came out of this incident okay. Each time we scouters experience such an event we and our scouts need to reflect on the lessons learned, share them with others, and remind ourselves that the rules imposed upon us by BSA are there for a reason.

 

I am reminded of a canoe incident our troop experienced last year on the John Day River in Oregon. The trip was open to all ages, and we had scouts from ages 11 to 18. We required each to have earned the swimming merit badge prior to the trip, and to participate in 2 one-day outings on white-water rivers prior to the trip. The youngest scouts were paired with adults. On one of the prep trips, I and another adult managed to put my new canoe up against a logjam, with the canoe then swamping and getting trapped. After the trip, we talked of what we had done wrong, by getting up against the jam, and what we did right, which was to immediately jump up onto the logs, leaving the canoe and gear to be sorted later. The primary lesson to the scouts was to never risk your safety for things you can replace.

 

Anyway, on the John Day, halfway through the trip we encountered a father and son alone, with the son looking rather miserable. The son was also a scout, so they paddled with us for companionship. Soon they dumped their canoe, and we all helped in a rescue and then to reload their canoe. It turns out that this pair came alone after others dropped out, and had previously flipped their canoe, lost one paddle, and without a spare, sat for a day. The father then hiked downriver and found the paddle, and they resumed, well behind schedule. Their training consisted of one trip on a slow river, the Willamette. Luckily, a rancher happened to drive by and took them out by truck. We then discussed this with our scouts as to the lessons learned. They then appreciated the training we had put them through prior to the trip, and the spare equipment we had. Often it is only when you see someone's misfortune do you learn of the value of your training and the reason for BSA safety rules.

[eisely]

We too ended our trip a day early, just a few miles from our destination. We were rescued not by a rancher, but by a National Park Service Ranger with a bigger boat. Conceivably we could have continued, but we had a lot of wet gear facing a chilly night, with no way to dry it out. If scouting is a "game with a purpose," another important example we set is making sound decisions about yielding to Mother Nature. To quote another famous American, Kenny Rogers, "You have to know when to hold'em..know when to fold'em..."