All scouts who have achieved the First-Class rank have met the basic First Class Boy Scout first aid training requirements. All scouts working towards Eagle are required to take the First Aid merit badge. This is no accident—BSA has always known that building good outdoor adventure has to grow along with health and safety preparedness. This isn’t just a merit badge; it is a lifesaving skill that has been known to save lives in real scouting situations.
The First Aid Foundation: What BSA Needs
When a Scout is ready to become a First Class Scout, he or she should be able to perform a complete variety of first aid skills. These include the treatment of cuts, scrapes, blisters, burns, allergic reactions, CPR, choking (children and adults), hypothermia, and heat-related illness. These are not just theory lessons — in scouts, they do these activities again and again and learn all the basic scout outdoor safety tips for each activity and campout.
The First Aid Merit Badge: Going Deeper
For the Eagle Scout, First Aid is a merit badge that goes on to build upon these skills. First aid merit badge requirements include knowing what to do and how to treat anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction), how to treat serious wounds and bleeding, how to respond to suspected spinal injuries, and how to develop a personal first aid kit. Scouts also develop the skills to conduct a patient assessment, a systematic way of evaluating an injured person, similar to professional emergency response procedures.
The Seven Priorities of Wilderness First Aid
In the case of longer backcountry expeditions, scouts and leaders could be several hours away from medical assistance from a professional. Wilderness First Aid for Scouts is a different system than city first aid and will give scouts the knowledge they need when emergency situations arise in a remote location. There are seven priorities in all wilderness emergencies:
- Make sure the scene is safe before approaching it.
- Perform a primary assessment (ABC; airway, breathing, circulation).
- Stop any serious bleeding as quickly as possible.
- Perform a secondary assessment (head-to-toe survey).
- Treat for shock and check vital signs.
- Decide to evacuate – if it’s safe to leave, do so immediately.
- Record observations and report to rescue personnel.
Building a Troop First Aid Kit
Each troop should have a fully-stocked group first aid kit for all outings. A complete troop kit contains several sizes of adhesive bandages, sterile gauze pads and rolls, medical tape, triangular bandages and slings, SAM splints, nitrile gloves, a CPR face shield, tweezers and scissors, an emergency blanket, a waterproof first aid manual, and antihistamines. The kit needs to be checked and refitted for each outing and given to a designated leader in connection with good emergency preparedness planning among scouts.
Prevention Is the Best First Aid
The best emergency response is one that doesn’t occur. Scouts are taught that proper preparation – checking gear before leaving home, drinking enough water, wearing the right shoes, letting people know where you are going, and packing up and going home if conditions get worse – will prevent most outdoor medical emergencies. The more fundamental of the program’s first aid requirements is the ability to teach scouts to think preventatively, rather than reactively.