Guide to Safe Scouting

• Go online to read or download the latest BSA Safety Guidelines. (online) | Download PDF Version

Health & Safety Forms & Resources

Policy on Use of the Annual Health and Medical Record

In order to provide better care for its members and to assist them in better understanding their own physical capabilities, the Boy Scouts of America recommends that everyone who participates in a Scouting event have an annual medical evaluation by a certified and licensed health-care provider—a physician (MD or DO), nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. Providing your medical information on this four-part form will help ensure you meet the minimum standards for participation in various activities. Note that unit leaders must always protect the privacy of unit participants by protecting their medical information.

Parts A and B are to be completed at least annually by participants in all Scouting events. This health history, parental/guardian informed consent and hold harmless/release agreement, and talent release statement is to be completed by the participant and parents/guardians.

Part C is the physical exam that is required for participants in any event that exceeds 72 consecutive hours, for all high-adventure base participants, or when the nature of the activity is strenuous and demanding. Service projects or work weekends may fit this description. Part C is to be completed and signed by a certified and licensed heath-care provider—physician (MD or DO), nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. It is important to note that the height/weight limits must be strictly adhered to when the event will take the unit more than 30 minutes away from an emergency vehicle, accessible roadway, or when the program requires it, such as backpacking trips, high-adventure activities, and conservation projects in remote areas. See the FAQs for when this does not apply.

Part D is required to be reviewed by all participants of a high-adventure program at one of the national high-adventure bases and shared with the examining health-care provider before completing Part C.

• Philmont Scout Ranch . Participants and guests for Philmont activities that are conducted with limited access to the backcountry, including most Philmont Training Center conferences and family programs, will not require completion of Part C. However, participants should review Part D to understand potential risks inherent at 6,700 feet in elevation in a dry Southwest environment. Please review specific registration information for the activity or event.
• Northern Tier National High Adventure Base .
• Florida National High Adventure Sea Base . The PADI medical form is also required if scuba diving at this base.

More Information click here.

Mike Gibbons presentation was just spectacular! His message was spot on for our Class of 2011 Eagle Scouts…motivational and educational. Mike, an Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 778 in the Portola District, made local and national headlines back in May of 2011 when he summited Mt. Everest. The author of “Attitude over Altitude”, Mike’s summit was anything but typical. At 22,000 up the side of Everest a snow bridge broke beneath him and he found himself hanging from a rope 20 feet deep into a crevasse with damage to his arm and back. The next step—descending the dangerous Khumbu Ice Fall with only one usable arm, to be helicopter evacuated off the mountain. However, this wasn’t the end of Mike’s summit story. After coming back to Orange County for medical treatment to discover from his orthopedic surgeon that his arm wasn’t broken, Mike found the courage and mustered the tenacity to return to Everest to start all over again on his quest to summit the tallest point on the planet…Mt. Everest, the granddaddy of them all at 29,035 feet.
Mike shared his compelling story which his extraordinary list of other trekking triumphs, including Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (19,340 ft.), Mt Shasta in California (14,162 ft.), Mt. Elbrus in Russia (18,481 ft.), Mt. Whitney in California (14,498 ft.), Mt. McKinley/Denali in Alaska (20,320 ft.), Mt. Vinson Massif in Antarctica (16,067 ft.), Mt. Rainier in Washington (14,410 ft.), Mt Aconcagua in Australia (7,310 ft.), The Matterhorn in Switzerland (14,687 ft.) and Mt Carstenz Pyramid in Indonesia (16,023 ft.). He is one of only 125 people in history to have climbed to the top of the eight highest peaks in the world in each of seven continents. Mike has degrees from Harvard and Stanford Universities, is the owner of a successful equity investment business and has a rich Scouting background here in Southern California. His amazing story had us all on the edge of our seats for 40 minutes as we journeyed with him to the top of the highest peak on earth, Mt. Everest. How did he do it? Indelibly implanted Scout skills, unparalleled strong will and an abiding faith in God.

The three points of the trefoil stand for the three parts of the Scout Oath.
The shape of the Scout badge means that a Scout can point the right way in life as truly as does a compass in the field.
There are two stars on the badge. They symbolize truth and knowledge.
The eagle and shield stand for freedom and a Scout’s readiness to defend that freedom.
The scroll bearing the Scout motto is turned up at the ends as a reminder that a Scout smiles as he does his duty.
The knot at the bottom of the scroll serves as a reminder of the Scout slogan, Do a Good Turn Daily.

Origin of the World Scouting Symbol
“Fleur-de-Lis”

In Scouting’s early years, critics accused Baden-Powell of trying to turn boys into soldiers, holding up as evidence the Scout symbol, which they called “a spear-head, the emblem of battle and bloodshed”. The Founder quickly replied, The crest is the “Fleur-de-Lis”, a lily, the emblem of peace and purity.

In truth, he had chosen as Scouting’s emblem the sign for the North Point, universally shown on maps, charts and compass cards, because “it points in the right direction (and upwards), turning neither to the right nor left, since these lead backward again…” Lady Baden-Powell added later, “It shows the true way to go.”

Baden-Powell explained the origins of this sign. In the Middle Ages, mariner Flavio Gioja designed it to make the seaman’s compass more reliable. In Italian, North was “Tramontana”. Gioja used a capital “T” to mark it, and in deference to King Charles of Naples, whose crest was the Fleur-de-Lis, combined the letter with that emblem.

To explain the meaning of the Scout emblem, Baden-Powell said, “The two stars on the two side arms stand for the two eyes of the Wolf Cub having been opened before he became a Scout… The three points of the Fleur-de-Lis remind the Scout of the three points of the Scout’s Promise…”

In the World Scout emblem, the Fleur-de-Lis is surrounded by a circle of rope tied with a reef knot to symbolize the strength and unity of the world brotherhood of Scouting: “Even as one cannot undo a reef knot, no matter how hard one pulls on it, so as it expands, the movement remains united.”

The three tips of the Fleur-de-Lis represent the three main parts of the Scout promise: duty to God, obedience to the Scout Law, and service to others. The two five-point stars stand for truth and knowledge, and the 10 points on the stars remind us of the 10 points of the Scout law. The ring holding the emblem together represents the bond of brotherhood.

The symbol is white on a royal purple background, colors Baden-Powell chose because, in heraldry, white stands for purity and purple for leadership and helping others.

Since Scouting began, over 200 million Scouts have worn the Scout symbol, making it one of the more highly recognized emblems in the world. Today, over 150 World Scouting countries and territories, more than 16 million members continue to wear it with pride.

Be a part of Scouting History again and forever and attend the first Jamboree at the new Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.
For those that have already signed up your name will be entered into a Raffle at Scout-O-Rama for a Commemorative Limited Edition Jamboree Fundraiser Patch & Pin Set and 8 real full sized Custom OCC Jamboree SKATEBOARDs.

We have another Information & Recruitment Night at the Council Office 1211 E. Dyer Rd. Santa Ana and at the LDS Chapel 5550 Ohio St. In Yorba Linda this Thursday, April 26 at 7:00pm.

We need your help to let your friends and fellow Scouts & Venturers know about this great opportunity. When you bring someone to the Information & Recruitment Night and sign-up for the 2013 National Jamboree, your name and their name will be entered into the Raffle. For every Scout or Venturer you get to sign-up with a deposit before or at Scout-O-Rama, your name will be entered into the Raffle again.

Simply reply to this email with your name and the name of the friends that you have recruited and you will double, triple or quadruple your chance to win.

Visit the official Orange County Jamboree website at:
www.ocjamboree.org

For more up-to-date information –
Visit the official Summit Bechtel Reserve Jamboree website at:
www.summitbechtelreserve.org

Another chance to WIN…
Enter the THEME & PATCH CONTEST for the Orange County Council 2013 Jamboree Contingent

SCOUTING ALMUNI ROCK!

We want to encourage you to register TODAY with the National Scouting Alumni Association! You will join well over 2,100 Orange County Scouters who have already done so since September of 2011 when the new site went live.

You will discover upon registering as a lifetime member of the Scouting Alumni fraternity, that you will receive a very nice membership package, complete with an informative quarterly electronic newsletter, affiliation card, lapel pin, luggage tag, window cling and a few other cool benefits. But what may not be evident as you register is that there’s another important benefit for your $35 lifetime membership…$15 of your $35 contribution comes directly back to our council, directly benefiting Scouting programs here in Orange County. $15 may not seem like much, but when you multiply that by the 100’s of thousands of Scouters and Scouting alumni who reside here in Orange County now you begin to talk about an exponential impact.

But wait! There’s even more to get excited about…The National Alumni Association has launched a nation-wide contest for 2012 to reach 100 million Scouting alumni nationally. The local council’s with the greatest increase year over year in Scouting alumni registrations have a chance at receiving a grant of $12,500 (from a $50,000 pool) to be utilized for supporting alumni services in the council. We have estimated, based upon BSA national data, there is very likely between 250,00 and 300,000 Scouting alumni residing in Orange County. Can you IMAGINE the potential for volunteer mobilization and financial support for Scouting? Wouldn’t it be awesome if the Orange County Council was recognized as one of the top alumni development councils in the nation?!

But more, much more than the monetary benefit, there’s tremendous potential for re-engaging Scouting alums who are no longer involved in Scouting. Yet, if cultivated persuasively, they may very well be honored to be asked to serve once again. I want to ask you to take the next simple step, to consider becoming a Scouting Alumni Ambassador, to help us rekindle, reconnect, and re-engage Scouting alumni across Orange County. Here are just four simple, effective ideas that would take only a few minutes of your time but could produce dramatic results for Scouting. You may have other ideas:

Get registered at www.BSAalumni.org ! Then, forward this article to 10 Scouters or Scouting alums you know, including the Scouting Alumni Association link and encourage them to sign up!

Utilize the attached “Scouting Alumni Calling Card” in your day to day connections with other Scouters or Scouting alums at work, in your neighborhood or community. Hand out the calling cards to the Scouts and Scout families in your unit to distribute while selling Scout-0-Rama tickets or at other Scout outings. (Alumni calling cards are available upon request at the Scout Service Center in Santa Ana or through your District Executive)

Promote and attend Scouting alumni events, such as Scout-0-Rama on May 12 (stop by the NESA or Silver Beaver Alumni Association Booth) and Cars ‘N’ Mugs alumni event on Oct. 6, 2012. [ Cars ‘N’ Mugs]

Resolve to pursue the “Alumni Award” and earn a new Scouter’s uniform knot while promoting alumni activities (more information available on the “Alumni Award” at the national alumni site). Check out these cool “Alumni Calling Cards“.

Please contact Marty Cutrone, Alumni Services Director at martyc@ocbsa.org with any questions, ideas or comments. We would also love to hear back from you with your personal success stories about rekindling Scouting relationships as you serve as Scouting Alumni Ambassadors in your community!

There is a reason for their silence – new members of Order of  Arrow.

The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America. Founded in 1915, it uses American Indian traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on Scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the Scout Oath and Scout Law in their daily lives.

After being elected or nominated, candidates may participate in a call-out ceremony that may be performed at summer camp, a camporee, a call-out weekend or at a troop or team meeting. Candidates then participate in a weekend-long Ordeal induction ceremony. The Ordeal is intended to emphasize service and self-sacrifice; candidates maintain complete silence, sleep alone overnight, receive small amounts of food and will perform camp work projects. Candidates will then be welcomed as Ordeal members in a formal induction ceremony.

Unit Program Planning Tools

BSA – Pack Annual Program Planning Conference Guide (PPTX)
BSA – Troop Annual Program Planning Conference Guide (PPTX)
BSA – Venturing Crew Annual Program Planning Conference Guide
NEW! Strengthening Organizations Through Scouting Download | Available at NDC
This new-unit sales presentation guide focuses on BSA information that potential sponsoring organizations need to know. Topics include the building blocks of Scouting, chartered organization relationships, program benefits, and selecting quality volunteers.
NEW! English/Spanish edition, 522-024 Download

The Together Plan

The Unit Progress Chart

New Unit Chart for Districts

The New-Unit Organization Process

NEW! Community Organizational Survey Worksheet Download

The Values of Americans,No. 02-849 Download | Available at NDC
This brochure for parents presents the findings of the landmark 1995 Louis Harris & Associates study, which showed that Scouting experience has a positive effect on values and achievement.

A Year in the Life of a Scout,No. 02-344 Download Spanish
This Spanish-language brochure explains the different age-appropriate programs and activities in Scouting.

Harris Outcome Summary,No. 02-478 Download Spanish | Available at NDC
This Spanish-language brochure highlights the findings of the 1995 Louis Harris & Associates study and why adults can make a difference in the boy’s life.

Volunteer Outcome Study,No. 02-659 Download Spanish | Available at NDC
This Spanish-language brochure presents the findings of the landmark 1995 Louis Harris & Associates study, about the benefits and positive impact that volunteers experience when they become part of Scouting.

Your Organization and Scouting ( bilingual), No. 94-003 Download
This bilingual promotional brochure demonstrates to organizations that serve the Hispanic community how Scouting is a viable resource program for addressing community needs and concerns.

Soccer and Scouting in Your Organization (bilingual),No.13-597A Download | Available at NDC
BSA has developed Soccer and Scouting program as an outreach for Hispanic/Latino youth and their families, but it is not limited to them.

Cub Scouting
Message of Cub Scouting, 521-032. Download | Available at NDC
Is geared toward potential chartered organizations and provides guidelines for starting a new Cub Scout pack.

Selecting Quality Leaders for Cub Scouts , 523-500. Download | Available at NDC
Provides information on selecting a leader for a new Cub Scout pack.
Spanish Edition, 521-041 Download

Pack Organization Chart, Download English | Download Spanish (No. 521-033) | Available at NDC
Lays out the flow chart of a pack and what the leaders’ responsibilities entail.

Cub Scout Character Development, Download English | Download Spanish (No. 521-036) | Available at NDC
Lists and defines the 12 Core Values of Cub Scouting.

Boy Scouting
Selecting Quality Leaders for Boy Scouts, 523-981. Download | Available at NDC
Describes the steps necessary to recruit a key adult unit leader.
Spanish Edition, 521-039 Download

Building Blocks of Scouting, Download English | Download Spanish (No. 521-038) | Available at NDC
Explains our relationship with community organizations, as well as Scouting values, character development, outdoor program, advancement program, self-growth, and the patrol method.

Venturing
Venturing Resources for Religious Organizations (bilingual), No.25-250 Download
This bilingual brochure is a valuable tool for religious organizations that wish to incorporate Venturing into their religious youth group.