Hayden Boy Scouts prep for disasters

HAYDEN - Boy Scouts of Troop 911 are ready for the call.

The boys ranging in age from 11-17 years old took part in a training program on Saturday at the Kootenai County Search and Rescue building.

It included classroom training followed by eight realistic scenarios that involved 25 scouts and 22 role players.

"With a Boy Scout troop number like 911, we'd better be good at emergencies," said scoutmaster Larry Kirkhart.

Hayden Boy Scout Troop 911 has a strong focus on community service and emergency preparedness.

Some of Saturday's training stations included:

• Pedestrian vs. auto, complete with a hysterical driver and passenger.

• A fall victim with a neck injury and gash on the head.

• Uncontrolled arterial bleeding. Some of the boys were stunned briefly when they came around the shed to find a man with a hand wound spurting blood, but they quickly handled the situation and got the bleeding stopped.

• A diabetic emergency. Hannah Melton, 13, played a pale and disoriented patient with low blood sugar. The goal was for the scouts to reassure her and locate her medic alert bracelet, telling them what was wrong with her. "They did really well, I was actually surprised how much they knew," Melton said.

Besides realistic make up, some of the stations included screaming bystanders, road flares, vehicles and even police cars on scene, Kirkhart said.

"This type of hands on training builds tremendous confidence in the scouts and truly prepares them to respond effectively should a similar situation present itself in real life," he said.