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Zaine Bennett

Sheila Fielding

WRTC 103

January/29/2017

First Aid in Action

There are many different types of wounds but when you are camping they all have one

thing in common; they have to be dealt with immediately with little access to outside help. When

I was in the Boy Scouts I learned many skills but the most important was first aid. When

camping deep in the wilderness there is the danger of even the smallest of cuts or bruises turning

into a larger problem later on. This sense of urgency is why scouts are taught basic first aid as

soon as they join. There was one event that really changed who I was and what I wanted to do

with my life. My Boy Scout troop called it The Christopher Run Incident and was a textbook

example of first aid in action. Using the first aid skills and quick thinking I learned from boy

scouts I was able to help a friend in need and discover that I wanted to help heal people as a

career.

The Boy Scouts has two starts, one in England and the other in America. An officer of the

British Army, Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, discovered his men did not know

survival skills. To combat this issue Baden-Powell wrote a survival handbook for his men so they

could learn these skills. When he returned to England he discovered his handbook was a success

with young boys. He started an organization dedicated to teaching young men how to survive in

the wilderness. In 1908 he wrote a book titled Scouting for Boys and shortly after the

organization became a massive success. American Boy Scouts started when a man named

William D. Boyce got lost in England. A young man found and helped Boyce to his destination

and when Boyce tried to pay the young man he refused. Boyce talked to the man and learned
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about the scouts and its creator. He then met with Baden-Powell and fell so in love with the

organization he brought the idea back to America. I became a scout when I was 7 years old. I

started as a cub scout and worked my way up through the ranks. There were two major factors

that made me join the organization. I was new in town with a desire to learn about the outdoors

and had a desire to make new friends. In a short time, I obtained both and started to enjoy every

troop meeting.

The first thing I learned in the scouts was first aid. There was much to learn starting out. I

learned how to dress a wound, make a splint, construct a stretcher, and so much more that at

times it seemed overwhelming. But I discovered that I really enjoyed learning about first aid and

putting it into action. In my troop there was a first aid leadership position that the adult leaders

picked one scout to fill. The person who was picked worked with the adults and fellow scouts to

keep everyone safe and instruct scouts on common first aid practices. Usually, the position went

to an older member of the troop that had shown competence in first aid practices. I decided to

work towards becoming first aid leader. I announced that I wanted to be the leader during a troop

meeting and was instantly laughed at. I had only recently become a boy scout in rank and still

relatively young. All the other scouts thought that I couldnt possibly be a leader because I was

young. They didnt look at my experience and knowledge, only my age. To a much less harsh

degree, I was being stereotyped and looked down upon like Brent Staples in Black Men and

Public Space (Staples 502). Being looked down upon only made me work harder and despite all

odds, I was chosen over the older scout who also wanted the position. I eventually earned respect

after what is now known as The Christopher Run Incident.

The Christopher Run Campout was no different than any other camp out but it is where I

proved myself a capable leader. I had been first aid leader for a month but this was the first camp
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the troop had been on since my election. I was nervous about my duties but excited at the

prospect of proving myself. We had set up camp at the bottom of a hill that Friday night and the

following morning 6 of the 8 scouts went on a 3-mile hike to the precipice of the hill. The trail

was run down and dangerous but we pushed on. About halfway through the hike disaster struck.

A fellow scout stumbled on a tree root and slid down a steep embankment cutting his leg badly

on a rock. I heard the noise and saw him slide down the hill. I found a safe way down the

embankment and assessed his wounds. He was hysterical but I tried to keep him calm. I wasnt

worried about proving myself or being nervous. My only concern was acting. When I looked

back at the group I saw the remainder of them standing there in shock. I told two of the scouts to

head back down the trail to the adults and told the other two to come down to me. I instructed

one to keep the patient calm while the other scout and myself worked on his leg. By the time he

was patched up and better the adults had shown up to take him down the hill. That night the

scout who got hurt thanked me and told the other scouts that I was worthy of the position. I had

finally earned respect as a leader.

After the incident, I was accepted as a full member of the troop and earned my right to be

first aid leader. That was not the only thing I discovered that day, I discovered I wanted to help

people. I knew I wanted to continue helping people get better. I felt a great satisfaction that day

that I never wanted to lose. It gave me a goal for the future and I am now currently pursuing

becoming a Physicians Assistant. I gained two things that day, respect and a goal for the future

and both have changed my life forever.

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Works Cited

"History of Cub Scouting." History of Cub Scouting. Boy Scouts of America, 2009. Web. 29

Jan. 2017.

Staples, Brent. Black Men and Public Space. The Bedford Guide for College Writers, edited

by X.J Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, Marcia F. Muth, Bedford/St. Martins, 2017,

pp. 502-504