managing gear

[old goat]

Seems I am now taking care of the troop gear now. We aparentley do not have any procedures for handiling the trailer or storage area. Where should I start

[boomerscout]

help the troop quartermaster (a Boy Scout) take a written inventory of all the troop gear. Unpack/unfold all the tents to check for mold, mildew & rips. Note any missing items: do tents have enough stakes, is first aid kit full, etc. Check all cooking gear for cleanliness.

Construct/buy/find enough shelving to keep everything off the floor

Trailer: when were wheel bearings last repacked (if needed), do all lights work, sufficient tread on tires, does paint need touching up, who all has the keys to the lock, check trailer brake-linings, are the wheel chocks present?

After you do all this, test each item: do all stoves work properly, all lanterns, do ropes need replacing, any food out of date

Probably more to this; this is just off the top of my head

[Twocubdad]

I will assume you meant to say that you are responsible for working with the troop and patrol quartermasters to take care of the troop gear.

 

I don't know what kind of problems your troop has with it's equipment, but my first move would be to meet with the troop quartermaster and talk with him about what he thinks needs to be done. Do you have an accurate inventory? Do you have a procedure for checking equipment in and out? Do you need one? Are there maintenance issues which need to be addressed? New equipment which needs to be purchased?

 

Your job is to guide the quartermaster through this process, HELP HIM understand the job, set goals and meet them. Your focus needs to be on training and coaching, not doing.

[RememberSchiff]

First, Safety and security.

 

Safe storage of fuel. We store stove fuel off site from Charter Organization. Charcoal is stored in our troop shed.

Food? We do not store any leftover food. Not looking for critter problems in our shed.

Water jugs, coolers need to cleaned and stored DRY, closed!

 

Storage area and trailer securely locked. Spare tire and registration folder in trailer. Trailer inspection? Insurance coverage? Depending on your storage area, consider smoke/fire detector. Good point about storing about floor level.

 

Second, inventory and inspection. What serviceable equipment do we have? Make sure everyone has returned gear (yeah but how will I know ) before inventory. The troop likely stores more than just camping gear. We store badges, forms, troop library, ceremony stuff, and even a Pinewood Derby Track for our Pack.

 

From here, it gets more involved. Deciding to repair or replace. How to store? We store gear by patrol (patrol signs out and is responsible for their gear). How to control access will be an issue. How to accept returned gear (dry, clean, in good condition) will be a bigger issue.

 

As mentioned, you will guide the troop quartermaster and his assistants through this process. They will have problems handling the time-consuming details particularly after an outing. No quick and dirty.

 

Take a particular interest in your first aid kits and lashing rope.

 

My $0.02

 

 

[old goat]

Thanks for the input.So the scout quatermaster is in charge of the organasation of the gear.Does he decide how or what procedeures are used to let gear come and go or do you give them that. Do they repair gear or does that go to the adult.

[resqman]

I recommend color coding all the equipment in each patrol box. Colored electrical tape is usually satisfactory. Some items do better with a sqirt of spray paint. Mark EVERYTHING in the kit the same color. Each patrol a different color. We issue out a patrol box with everything marked a single color and every patrol attempts to return a rainbow colored box at the end of a campout.

 

Label each tent and rainfly. Keep a signout chart so when a patrol checks out a tent, you have a scout name. At the end of the weekend, they should return it clean and dry or at the next meeting clean and dry. If no scout name or tent numbering system, you don' know who has the missing equipment or what equipment is missing.

 

For some reason we need to have a physical inventory about every 6 months because stuff seems to float away.

[Twocubdad]

In all honesty, the real question you're asking is "how do I be a Scout leader." At minimum, that's an 8-hour class. Everyone here can give a different version of the answer. But here's one:

 

What the Quartermaster does depends on what you train him to do. Have you -- or preferably the previous QM or another older Scout -- taught the young man how to repair the gear? If so, he need to do it. Always let the boys do anything they are capable of doing.

 

As to procedures, you need to let the troop QM work with the patrol QMs to come up with a method they can all agree to and live with. If you come up with some procedure which requires an MBA and a six sigma black belt to figure out and dump it on the boys, they will never use it.

 

Let's say you are aware that due to the lack of accountability, alot of troop gear tends to disappear.

 

The first step may be to have the QMs conduct a physical inventory and compare that against what's on the books. Then start asking questions.

 

How many tents are we supposed to have?

How many tents do we really have?

Is that a problem?

What could we do to make sure we no longer misplace tents?

How would you implement any of those ideas?

Is that a plan the rest of the troop will follow through on?

 

Your job is to train the boys to do the job and guide them through the discovery process of coming up with a plan. Don't give them the procedures out-right. Let them think through the process. Then have the QM present their idea to the PLC for approval.

 

The one exception to this is safety. From a safety standpoint, certain things you will probably want to keep a heavier hand in, like maintaining the trailer or repairing gas appliances. Hopefully, the Scouts will eventually step up and take charge of those items. But even then as a matter of troop policy you may want to say that gas equipment will always be double-checked by an adult after maintenance, for example. Safety is always the ultimate responsibility of the adults.

[boomerscout]

"Does he decide how or what procedeures are used to let gear come and go or do you give them that."

You get to drop a hint or two, but not too often. You also get to tell an illustrative story about logistics, but no more than one a day. Teaching the Scout quartermasters to plan by using scenarios may be useful.

Before you buy any gear, quartermaster needs to consult with the PLC on upcoming activities. No sense in replacing a "wall tent" if troop plans to switch to ultralight hiking and camping. You'll also need to share with the treasurer before you commit to anything

[JerseyScout]

Lot's of good advice here. I'll add two bits.

 

1) COLORED NAIL POLISH works wonders in the color-coding system. Spoons, knives, forks, pots, sierra cups, mugs, little Johnny's patrol members... all work great. Colored eletrical tape/duck tape and colored spray paint also work great for marking things like tents, tarps, etc.

 

2) Divide, divide, divide. My troop now owns the following gear: big thick rope, two trailers (one for gear, one for canoes), a big shed to put them in, and some odds and ends. Every other piece of gear is the responsibility of a patrol. Each patrol gets a quartermaster to keep the gear in order (aided by the rest of his patrol... its not just his job to clean at the end of trip), and the troop gets a troop quartermaster and an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader to keep on top of/guide the patrol quartermasters, usually playing the "ALRIGHT, WHICH PATROL IS ORANGE? YOUR POT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD, COME GET IT" game. It's a fun game. They also teach people how to fix broken gear, especially lanterns. Oh how I hate broken lanterns.