Scouts and lost gear

[EagleInKY]

I'm dealing with an issue in my troop that has me pulling out the reamining hairs on my head. SWMBO doesn't like the sight of me baldness, so I've got to do something.

 

Here's the deal. We're a young troop (3 years now) and growing quite nicely (27 scouts). On the surface things look great (and overall they really are). But, we have a big problem with scouts returning gear. For example, after a campout, one scout from each tent takes it home, dries it out and brings it back to his QM. The QM has a list of these scouts and their tents. Unfortuantely, between leaving the campout and going on the next campout, the QM somehow always seems to lose the list, scouts seem to forget if they had a tent or not, and the tents aren't getting returned.

 

This has been a growing problem for nearly a year. It started with 2 or 3 tents, then it was 4 or 5. In April, there were 7 tents missing. Finally, at last month's campout, there were 8 tents missing!

 

I followed through with my promise (threat), and I made the guys sleep in what they had on the last campout. They were sleeping 4 boys in a 4 man tent, so you know they were packed in there.

 

It's been a few weeks, I've mentioned it several times, as has the SPL, and the QM has called boys. I checked with the QM about how many have been turned in. We now have 11-12 not turned in. (We only have 14 tents to begin with).

 

I spoke to the parents about it at a parent's meeting before our COH and at our last committee meeting. I got a lot of "it's not mes" and "maybe you should try this". But none of it was helpful.

 

It seems like such an easy plan, but guys seem to muck it up nevertheless. This problem extends beyond tents to things like Merit Badge Books and other troop items as well. The tents are the most expensive item we're struggling with.

 

What would you do in my case? I've been stressed about this that SWMBO is losing patience with me. The parents just don't seem to care. The boys seem clueless.

 

What practices to your troops use? Is it just a case of our 12-13 year old QMs aren't mature enough and we need another year or two to develop them? Maybe I'm expecting too much of them.

[dkurtenbach]

Going forward, it sounds like you just need better accountability paperwork. Perhaps an Assistant Quartermaster or an adult advisor for the QM who maintains a separate, duplicate set of records on who checked out what equipment. Perhaps some triplicate receipt forms (from any office supply store) with the original staying with the QM (preferably in some big, heavy binder or briefcase that is hard to lose track of), one copy being given _immediately_ to the backup record keeper to be maintained separately, and the third copy to the Scout (perhaps stapled to his Boy Scout Handbook).

 

As for the lost equipment, proposing a special dues assessment on each family ($50? $75?) to purchase replacements may stimulate some more thorough searches of basements, garages, car trunks, and boys' rooms.

 

Dan Kurtenbach

Fairfax, VA

[Trevorum]

Wow, that's an expensive problem to have! Those missing tents have got to be somewhere (hopefully, not too many have been thrown out because of mildew...) and it's going to take some tough talking on your part to get them back.

 

Not sure this helps, but I think the problem may be the mind set associated with "community gear". If no one "owns" it, no one has to take responsibility for it. Scouts in our troop own their own tents, so this is never a problem, but we DO experience the same thing with smaller items of patrol gear such as cooking pots and propane hoses.

 

Once you get your tents back, I'd suggest posting the check-out/check-in list in a permanent place (scout shed, etc.) and NOT letting the QM take it home. That seems to be your biggest problem - not KNOWING who has the tents. Assign an inventory number to each tent (and sew on a tag to the front grommet or someplace) and track the tents individually. Even better, have the boys assign whimsical names to the tents, so that each tent is personalized. A fellow will tend to care about his "Sultan's Palace" or "Grendel's Lair" more than he will care about "some old tent".

[scoutldr]

At the next PLC meeting, inform the troop leadership that there will be no more camping until all the gear is accounted for. Then let them figure it out.

 

For the future, hold each patrol leader responsible for the gear his patrol uses. That way you don't have to keep track of who's responsible...it's always the PL. If they "lose" gear, then the next campout that patrol does without...or doesn't go. Peer pressure can be a very effective tool if used properly. But as long as the adults "cover" for them or bail them out, they will not be motivated to take ownership of the problem.

[OldGreyEagle]

Desperate times call for desperate measures and I beleive this is a desperate time. I echo what scoutldr

said about troop activities, no moore until the lost equipment is accounted for. Certainly, the Quartermasters shall not be signed off on their position of responsibility since none was shown and I may extend that to the SPL as well if he has known about the tent issue. Its their Troop, its their equipment and its their problem to resolve although you may have to supply the motivation.

[dkurtenbach]

And what happens if the missing equipment isn't accounted for, or only a couple of tents show up? Then you're stuck between loosening up on your ultimatum or letting the troop fall apart for lack of activities. And let's not be so hard on 12-13 year old QMs -- sure, it is partly their fault that the equipment can't be tracked down, but they aren't the ones who lost it, and either they didn't have good training, or good supervision (you don't make 12 year old boys solely responsible for thousands of dollars of equipment), and the troop lacked good procedures. This is a good learning experience for a young, active troop, but not a reason to stop the troop in its tracks.

 

Dan Kurtenbach

[frank10]

Won't help you with getting back what is allready out, but...

 

start signing out tents before the camp out. Scout signs it out, take it to the camp out and returns it (after drying) to get his name off the list (posted in the gear room).

[EagleInKY]

Thanks for the thoughts/advice. I purposely left out some of the details in order to allow for more feedback.

 

- We've done the log thing (although we haven't tried it in triplicate). We even gave him a dedicated notebook, to no avail. We tried the check-in/check-out list, but they would just take things without signing them out. But we're going to try again. We discussed at one time having an adult QM to partner with the scouts. That would be an excellent idea. Now if I can only find an adult ....

 

- Another idea I had was to have the QM send out an e-mail to the entire troop after each activity. That e-mail should state who has what and when they are due back. (We could have the Librarian do the same with Library books).

 

- I like that idea of assigning the tents to someone before the campout. That would cause the patrols to have to plan a little more. That's not a bad idea.

 

- We've written the patrol names & a number of each tent bag, but it's faded so much it is difficult to see. We've got a seamstress on the committee. I bet she could make us some tags to sew on that would be permanent.

 

- I'm with Dan on not wanting to risk messing up a good program because of poor procedures. I'd rather have them live with the consequences on the activity. (ie. have to sleep outside or cram 5 boys in a 4 man tent).

 

- wingunt: Oh how I wish we had a gear room or some form of storage at our CO. We can't even keep our trailer there. Don't get me wrong, tey give us full run of the building every Monday night. It's just a small building and they don't have room for us to store gear. We have one cabinet back in a corner of a classroom and that's all. We've talked about setting up a storage building outside. That's possibly a 2007 project. That's one of the problems. The tent comes into a troop meeting, gets handed to a QM, who has to make arrangements to get it to the trailer.

 

- We're working on new procedures for patrol gear. We're not going to keep the tents in the trailer any more. The patrol gear will be in the hands of the patrol QM. That way, we'll know where the tents are and they won't just mysteriously appear/disappear from the trailer.

 

 

Anyway, these are some good thoughts. Any more out there?

[kraut-60]

We have only 7 tents left out of 8 identical ones the troop bought in the late 90's. The tent that no longer is sucumbed to the Didntgetdriedoutous malady better known as "I forgot....", or moldier than an address in New Orleans.

 

We have had good luck having scouts take home and dry tents, my peeve has been that the parts get shuffled around (we number every part and keep all together,..except stakes).

 

I have also had the scouts bring the wet tents to my home as I have a 4 car plus garage. It looks like sail loft in there after a wet campout, but the tents get dry and then I have the scouts come back over to PROPERLY re-stow them.

 

Since instituting this method, there has been little to no problems with tents. Yes,...I know someone here will point out that I should let the scouts take them home to dry out, and that if Timmy Tenderfoot doesnt do it then he can sleep in that tent next time out...right. And while well intended, all it usually adds up to is a tent that smells like the Russian Navy celebrated their last pay-day in it, not what I would want in my troop gear shed/trailer/room..etc.

 

By all means have a CM be the equipment coordinator! This can be a god-send as it will empower an adult to take the QM under his wing and ensure the QM is doing his job, plus it will give one committee member more to do than be on an occasional BoR, or driving to an event.

[eagle90]

kraut -

 

I am chuckling at your pet peeve. I agree! We have 15 tents with all the tents, tent bag, pole bag, stake bag numbered. About 2 or 3 times a year we go thru them all and put them all together. One campout later, tent #6 has pole bag #12, stake bag #8, and is all in tent bag #4. How does this happen?? It's like they have a mind of their own and migrate in the trailer!

[SueM]

eagle90,

 

We have that same system..and problem!! They're kind of like socks in the dryer..you never know where things disappear or how they end up everywhere but where they should be!

 

sue m

[evmori]

If you run out of tents you can't go camping! Where is this gear going? Are the Scouts selling the gear on E-Bay?

 

We had this problem. Our QM kept losing the list, too. We then decided to have an adult oversee the QM & also get a copy of the list. Once the Scouts were held accountable for the gear they returned it promptly.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[EagleInKY]

Ed - I'm not worried that any have been stolen or sold. I think they are in people's garages, trunks or basements. Mom probably scratches her head and says "what's that stuff Johnny brought home?". They've probably stepped over or around it so many times they forgot it's there.

 

I am concerned that some could have been lost due to negligence. For example, I've been walking through the church checking lights and locking doors and have seen tents, MB books or other items laying in a corner, under a table, etc. I hope we haven't lost any this way.

[evmori]

EagleInKY,

 

Since your unit seems to be short on gear, hows about having all the funds from the next fundraiser go to replacing what has been lost or misplaced? That would mean nothing goes to the Scouts for camp! Wanna bet some of that missing gear starts showing up?

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[SR540Beaver]

In our troop, each patrol has their own gear and everything....and I do mean EVERYTHING is color coded. If the Ravens have the Wolves hammer, everyone knows it. Still, stuff goes missing from time to time. One of our rules (yes I know, we are evil) is that no one leaves....and I mean NO ONE leaves until all gear is unloaded and stowed away after a camp out. The troop/gear trailer is unloaded and gear stowed before the personal gear trailer is even unlocked for unloading. If it is sunny and dry when we get back from a camp out, we often set the tents up in the church parking lot to dry. Here in Oklahoma where all of the trees grow sideways due to gale force winds (only a slight exageration), drying a tent only takes a few minutes. Then we roll them up and stow them. If it has been a long trip back and everyone is tired or the sun and wind are not cooperating, the patrol tents are checked out to members within the patrol to take home and dry. A list is made by the youth QM who turns it into the adult QM. The scout must find the QM when they bring the tent back and get signed off as having returned it. Does it work perfectly? No. Does it work PDG (pretty darned good)? Yes.