More Totin Chip and Fireman Chit

[Buffalo Skipper]

OK, I got the message. Safety first. Not that that was ever in question in my mind. I kind of like Stosh's troop policy of "refreshing" this every year.

 

Our troop policy (as long as even our adult scouters who were with the troop decades ago) has been that each scout earns the Totin' Chip (card) and that they must have it on them at all times when using a bladed tool (including a paring knife?), or in the case of the Fireman Chit, make a fire.

 

Somehow, I feel this is perhaps a little extreme, but I am not one to break traditions so fondly held by the troop leadership. We have 2 scouts who are new to the troop, and have shown great responsibility and patience waiting for "permission" to carry a knife and start fires. I don't want to see them struggle waiting for this "privilage."

 

Rather than do this with in a troop setting, I feel it may be more effective to being delivered by each patrol leader (and experienced patrol scouts) in a local setting, and not necessarily restrict this "training" to a campout environment, as is the current unwritten expectation.

 

Thoughts?

[Scoutfish]

 

 

You know..I agree with you. I see it just like driver's education training: A new driving student doesn't just get in a car and drive. That student doesn't just drive with any licensed adult either.

 

Nope, that student is taught, trains under and works with his Driver's Ed instructor. When that instructor feels the student is ready, that instructor will then go to the next level which is letting the student drive on the road (with the instructor , of course!).

 

So , I can totally go along with a Patrol Leader training a newer scout at the ..ummm... Troop version of a den meeting.

 

But I feel that - just like the Driver Ed instructor, the PL must be trained to do give training, or at least be supervised by an adult who can give training.

 

See, then you have two things going on: a Scout learning a good skill amd a PL praticing a POR.

[Eagle92]

'Fish,

You are getting this Scouting thing!!!!! The one of the BIG differences between Cubs and Scouts is that you give training responsibilities to those scouts capable of doing it. And that is sometimes hard for former CS leaders to grasp.

 

The Scouts are the teachers, the adults advise and train the youth leaders who do the teaching. However the way things ran in my old troop was that the older scouts trained the younger scouts.

 

You shouldn't have to have an adult looking over the instructor's shoulder. Either the instructor can do it on his own, or you get another instructor form the youth. And usually your PLC members know who can or cannot do the job of teaching.

 

 

 

 

[SSScout]

There is no reason that camp skills need be taught and practiced ONLY on campouts. Frinstance, I know of many Troops (the one of my youth being one) that will have a "fire building" class on a saturday in someones back yard garden. Everyone is asked to bring tinder, kindling and even some serious fire wood. The Troop/Patrol meeting before, you talk about the theoretical stuff, talk about some exotic tinder (belly button lint? fritos? See other threads in here), safety and such. The next saturday, you do it. More than once. Try your hand at flint and steel, etc. Then, the next campout, you don't need to waste time TRYING to light that cooking fire for second class, you get it lit!

Same thing with T/C or W/C. Do that on an afternoon behind the garage. The SM or ASM teaches the PLs, the PLs teach the Scouts.

[Knot Head]

The instructors usually teach it on the first campout (March) for the new scouts each year and it is also offered as an option at night at summer camp by summer camp staff. For guys that join during the year we've also had the instructors teach it on a Saturday morning in an ASM's giant backyard. So for us at least it does not have to be done on a campout.

 

FWIW we don't require the scouts in our troop to carry the card with them to use a knife/axe/saw. I know some troops treat it like a driver's license where you have to have it on you and that's fine if it works for them. But we dont require the card to be physically on the person of the scout using a knife. As a result we dont cut corners off the card either. If a guy breaks a rule well give a warning or just take the knife depending on severity. He would get it back in an hour, a day, after he goes to a BOR or gets recertified depending on the offense. The worst I can recall in my years is taking a knife for the weekend and having a SM conference before they got it back. Its pretty rare to take a knife because were pretty anal about safety issues.

 

Same song second verse with fireman chit