Guide to Safe Scouting

[RichardB]

An awesome update has been published for your reading pleasure.  

 

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/toc.aspx

 

Enjoy,

 

RichardB

[meyerc13]

Thanks for pointing this out.  I really like the Incident Review sheets.  I was at a Webelos camp last year during a thunderstorm and the camp staff told us to shelter in our tents.  Having something like this to show them actual incident data proving this is a bad idea would have helped.  As a Pack Trainer and Roundtable Commissioner I intend to use these to train the leaders I serve.

[MrBob]

 

Cannons and Large-Bore Artillery

Units are not authorized, under any circumstances, to use a cannon or any other large-bore artillery device.

 

 

That tears it... I QUIT!!!   

 

[Stosh]

Cannons and Large-Bore Artillery

Units are not authorized, under any circumstances, to use a cannon or any other large-bore artillery device.

 

 

That tears it... I QUIT!!!   

 

 

And the kicker on that is in the reenacting world, the guys with the cannon and any other large-bore artillery device have to be certified.  All the other yahoos with black powder rifle muskets standing shoulder to shoulder aiming at other people  and hand guns and sabers while riding horses at a full gallop don't. It is obvious they have never played the game.

[desertrat77]

This paragraph warms my cold, cold heart...proof that the Nervous Nellies who blanch at the sight of a sheath knife haven't completely taken over the BSA:

 

(italics from the original)

_______ Knives

A sharp pocketknife with a can opener on it is an invaluable backcountry tool. Keep it clean, sharp, and handy. The BSA believes choosing the right equipment for the job at hand is the best answer to the question of what specific knife should be used. We are aware that many councils or camps may have limits on the type or style of knife that should be used. The BSA neither encourages nor bans fixed-blade knives nor do we set a limit on blade length. Since its inception, Boy Scouting has relied heavily on an outdoor program to achieve its objectives. This program meets more of the purposes of Scouting than any other single feature. We believe we have a duty to instill in our members, youth and adult, the knowledge of how to use, handle, and store legally owned knives with the highest concern for safety and responsibility.

Remember—knives are not allowed on school premises, nor can they be taken aboard commercial aircraft.

References: Boy Scout Handbook, Fieldbook, Bear Handbook, and Wolf Handbook

[Stosh]

The camp that I attended last week bans sheath knives.  I use my belt axe/sheath knife combo all the time and when I wore my 1910 Scout uniform I wore the combo with it.  A couple of the staff asked about it and when I showed them it was official BSA equipment, they just said, "Cool!"  It's ironic that the camp bans sheath knives yet sells belt axes in the trading post. Seriously?

 

As long as BSA doesn't put a limit on blade length, I guess I'll have to start wearing my sword again.

[desertrat77]

I've got a couple old BSA sheath knives.   Younger folks, scout and adult alike, get a kick looking at them and mulling over the concept that once upon a time, carrying a sheath knife was considered a perfectly normal activity in the BSA. 

 

As scout in Alaska, I carried a Buck 102 bird/trout sheath knife for years.   Came in handy many times.

 

Now it's fairly common to read summer camp and camporee guides that state "NO SHEATH KNIVES" in all caps.  

Edited August 10, 2016 by desertrat77

[Stosh]

The real stupid logic behind this whole concept is not the knife or the sheath, but that a scout can carry it around.  I teach my boys about folding blade knives, lock blade knives and fixed blade knives.  It's pretty hard to do kitchen chores without knowing about fixed blade knives and their safety.  But not to worry, they aren't sheath knives, the boys just dump them into the chuck box after washing.

 

So wielding them in the kitchen is okay, but wearing them is bad?

 

It's kinda like the stupid rules we have here in my state.  A person can open carry a weapon, but if they put a coat on, they have to have a special permit and training.  ??? Really  ???

[Hedgehog]

We went to Camp Tuscarora in New York.  On check in my son asked about the sheath knives, throwing knives and throwing tomahawks we had packed.  The ranger said, "if they are legal for the BSA, they are legal here."

 

I typically carry a Ontario RD-7 and my son carries a Becker BK-9 when we go backpacking.  The cool factor more than compensates for the extra weight.

[Stosh]

I carry the hunting knife that my grandfather carried.  I've skinned a lot of game and filleted a ton of fish with it.  Carry it whenever I'm in the woods.  It's my emergency knife for everything from kitchen work to rapid fire building when hypothermia sets in.  I do have a conceal carry so It's legal in my state and BSA camps that ban them are unaware of it.  At least no one has asked me about it in 35 years.

[TAHAWK]

The camp that I attended last week bans sheath knives.  I use my belt axe/sheath knife combo all the time and when I wore my 1910 Scout uniform I wore the combo with it.  A couple of the staff asked about it and when I showed them it was official BSA equipment, they just said, "Cool!"  It's ironic that the camp bans sheath knives yet sells belt axes in the trading post. Seriously?

 

As long as BSA doesn't put a limit on blade length, I guess I'll have to start wearing my sword again.

 

Two BSA publications on wilderness survival, The Complete Wilderness Training Manual, 2d. ed. rev. (DK Publishing, 2007)  and The Survival Handbook,  Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure, suggest carrying short swords.

 

Boys' Life in June, 2008, and June, 2016 specifically advocate shortish sheath knives.

 

 It's the bubble problem yet again.  Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Edited August 10, 2016 by TAHAWK

[Stosh]

We can trust the boys with a jack knife.

We can trust the boys with a lock-blade knife

We can trust the boys with a butcher knife.

But we can't trust the boys with a sheath knife.

 

There's a common denominator here and having noticed it, the only extenuating dynamic coming through is the sheath must be the dangerous part.

[RichardB]

Cannons and Large-Bore Artillery

Units are not authorized, under any circumstances, to use a cannon or any other large-bore artillery device.

 

 

That tears it... I QUIT!!!   

 

 

 

Been part of literature for over 10 years.   Just new to you.     Some tragic background, well before my time if you want to understand why.    http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/or/03or020.html  

[RichardB]

Thanks for pointing this out.  I really like the Incident Review sheets.  I was at a Webelos camp last year during a thunderstorm and the camp staff told us to shelter in our tents.  Having something like this to show them actual incident data proving this is a bad idea would have helped.  As a Pack Trainer and Roundtable Commissioner I intend to use these to train the leaders I serve.

 

Would be interested in any feedback as you use them, share them.     

[RichardB]

 

As long as BSA doesn't put a limit on blade length, I guess I'll have to start wearing my sword again.

 

Has been discussed, leaning toward either 60" or 72"