mashmaster Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Disclaimer: This did not happen in my troop. This weekend at our camporee a scout from a troop decided to get out of his tent after lights out and play flamethrower with pam and a lighter. The pam caught on fire, kid panicked and tossed the can into the field and set the camp on fire. Fire department camp out and put the fire out, nobody was hurt, and no structures were touched. If this were your scout, what would you do? I am thankful that everyone is ok, and that it isn't one of my scouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Um, wow! OK, well breathe a sigh of relief that nobody was hurt. Who owns the property? If this were my Scout, I would think that an apology to the property owner and possibly some kind of restitution for damaging the field. If no restitution is required, service hours. Revocation of the Scout's “Firem’n Rights” until some future time. Must go through the Firem'n Chit training again. These are the bare minimum that I can think of off the top of my head. What the Scout did was very unsafe, the Scout could have gotten hurt or hurt other people, and could have done serious damage to property. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 This didn't happen with just one scout. They must have been talking about it all day, and the kid got inspired to try it. The whole troop should be in on making restitution, if that's even possible. No more cooking spray for anyone in the troop. Going forward, only provision with olive oil, lard, margarine, or butter. Check provisions for any other spray-ables. That includes deodorant. This means a thorough shakedown before departure for a year. Finally: buddy system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Our scouts didn't the camp on fire, but they were just as careless. I asked, with a great deal of scowl, that the PLC handle fire safety at a troop level. Looking back, I would have done more including the PLC arranging all the patrols visit a hospital where doctors and nurses can impress the long term seriousness of injuries caused by fire. My hopes are that a few pictures with explanations from these professionals would impress the seriousness of fire safety. Until a person has had personal experience with grass fires, it's hard to grasp the speed they travel. More fire fighters are killed working grass fires than any other type of fire. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrkstvns Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 52 minutes ago, qwazse said: No more cooking spray for anyone in the troop. Going forward, only provision with olive oil, lard, margarine, or butter. Check provisions for any other spray-ables. That includes deodorant. This means a thorough shakedown before departure for a year. Around here, bug spray and sunblock are very common spray-ables. I can't imagine a troop banning these entirely...or such a ban being effective and enforceable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mashmaster Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 6 minutes ago, mrkstvns said: Around here, bug spray and sunblock are very common spray-ables. I can't imagine a troop banning these entirely...or such a ban being effective and enforceable. We tell them no aerosal bug spray or sunblock. Not because of the fire hazard but because the sunblock is less effective and they have a tendency to go off in someones bag. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mashmaster Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 All of these sound like great follow-ups, I was trying to think what would I do if it were one of my scouts that did this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, mrkstvns said: Around here, bug spray and sunblock are very common spray-ables. I can't imagine a troop banning these entirely...or such a ban being effective and enforceable. And what about stoves. Scouts need to practice making good decisions when the are surrounded by temptations. First step is educate them to the risks. Some individuals will still make bad choices if given the room, but usually the swaying by the other members of the patrol prevail. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 3 minutes ago, mrkstvns said: Around here, bug spray and sunblock are very common spray-ables. I can't imagine a troop banning these entirely...or such a ban being effective and enforceable. I know. I'm not saying this has to be done for every troop. But for this troop, at least a year. FWIW, I don't carry anything other than pump spray. Hard lesson learned when I was a PL and brought a stencil, pillow-case, and spray can to camp to paint our flag. I had no clue what a temptation that would be for my boys. Fortunately, it was a fairly wet year at camp. Also, the SM was not mean to any of us when I brought the can to him and explained why it could no longer stay in my tent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrkstvns Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 5 minutes ago, mashmaster said: All of these sound like great follow-ups, I was trying to think what would I do if it were one of my scouts that did this. I'd cry. Then I'd pray for the strength to deal with finger-pointing adults and Monday morning quarterbacks telling me what they'd have done if they'd been there. Finally, I hope I'd be able to help the troop leaders avoid crucifying the kid himself since I know perfectly well that I did things just as stupid when I was growing up (but thankfully, nothing that hurt anybody or caused major public humiliation). How can we help the kid grow from the experience and not just quit (or get ejected from) the troop? Kids do stupid things. As Barry said, they need to learn how to make good decisions. That doesn't happen instantly or without occasional pain. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sri_oa161 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Happy no one was hurt. Good suggestions. A few years ago, district next door had a camporee and a couple of Scouts played with fire. They set the field on fire along with a small shed filled with hay and a small tractor. No one was hurt, but there was property loss. Never did hear the full extent of the results beyond apologies and some restitution. Several years ago we were in the process of changing DEs. The new one was in the area, but did not start until Monday morning. The district had a camporee the weekend before he started. He came by early on Saturday and then left. The local fire department had a truck on hand for a demo in the morning events, but they left at lunch. A couple of young Scouts from one unit were told to dispose of ashes and they did - right onto broom straw which flared up and spread up a hill, headed toward the port-a-pottys. Quite a sight with half the adults trying to hold the Scouts back, the other half trying to put out the fire and move the port-a-pottys. Someone made a call and the fire truck that had left and was almost back to the station turned around. The fire was out when they got there. The local Fire Marshall came. He had a chat with the Scouts and had each write an essay about what had happened. Great way for a DE to start and he wasn't even there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSScout Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Fire stories.... OA is in charge of the Camporee campfire and program.... The campfire site is a nice one, open field, slight hillside for folks to sit on... The OA Scouts decide that this will be a "memorable " event, and manage to collect enough cargo pallets (seasoned oak) to amass and pile up two (2) pyres, each about twelve (12) feet tall and twelve feet across, 50 feet apart. The intention is the "stage" for the skits will be WELL LIT between the two fires. ( if not well baked). When I walk by about 3pm, I see this and smell the evocative aroma of JP4... and note NO water buckets or tools present. I have an "AH NO ! " moment and go to seek the Camporee SM. When he views the scene, he nods and says to me, " I was expecting this." He knew the OA Chapter Chief. By 6pm, one pile is torn completely down and hauled away to the parking lot. The other pile is brought down to about 5 feet tall and only one pallet wide... Each Troop at the Camporee is required to provide one 5 gallon water supply, cooler jug or otherwise, so we end up with twenty or so jugs/buckets behind the campfire.... It was a nice campfire.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrkstvns Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, SSScout said: Fire stories.... OA is in charge of the Camporee campfire and program.... The campfire site is a nice one, open field, slight hillside for folks to sit on... The OA Scouts decide that this will be a "memorable " event, and manage to collect enough cargo pallets (seasoned oak) to amass and pile up two (2) pyres, each about twelve (12) feet tall and twelve feet across, 50 feet apart. The intention is the "stage" for the skits will be WELL LIT between the two fires. ( if not well baked). ... Sounds like you might have averted a real tragedy. Reminds me of Texas A&M University and how their long tradition of enormous bonfires came crashing down in 1999, killing 12 students.. A fire doesn't have to be enormous to be "memorable". Edited March 29, 2019 by mrkstvns 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 @mashmaster was this a real image from the fire at Smilin V? If so, I'd like permission to use it, would love an original of it. Pictures of the Pam would be bonus points. RichardB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mashmaster Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 5 hours ago, RichardB said: @mashmaster was this a real image from the fire at Smilin V? If so, I'd like permission to use it, would love an original of it. Pictures of the Pam would be bonus points. RichardB It is a real image from Smilin V. PM me and we can talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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