IAFF Members Keep Boy Scouts Safe at 100th Anniversary

October 5, 2010 – The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year. Appropriately, the annual National Scout Jamboree was bigger than ever with more than 46,000 boy scouts. On hand to provide emergency medical services were several IAFF members.

The 10-day camp-out was held at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia where more than 18,000 tents and 3,600 kitchens were set up. Scouts had the opportunity to earn badges, participate in many activities and listen to various speakers.

“This is the first year that the Boy Scouts of America did not use a private company to provide EMS,” says Pasadena, CA Local 809 member Christopher Ramstead. “Instead, the BSA looked inward and found scout leaders like me with emergency medical training. It was only after we got to talking that we discovered many of us were IAFF members.”

Other IAFF members included: CDF Fire Fighters Local 2881 member Scott Baker; Southwest Florida Local 1826 member Ray Wiegand; Fargo, ND Local 642 member Brandon Wehner; Louisville, KY Local 345 member David Todd; East Hartford, CT Local 1548 member Scott Elkins; Akron, OH Local 330 member Lenny Pizzute; Ypsilanti, MI Local 401 Mike Loria; Los Angeles City, CA Local 112 member Dennis Walters; Brookfield, WI Local 2051 member Chris Rogahn; St. Bernard, LA Local 1468 member Mike LeBeau; Ann Arundel County, MD Local 1563 member Daniel Bunker; Prince George’s County, MD Local 1619 member Chuck Wagoner; Clark County, WA Local 4156 member Robert Moon; and Oromocto, NB member Chuck Staynke.

“We are all proud that the boy scouts were able to have a safe, fun time because we were there to help,” says Ramstead.
The Boy Scouts of America is a youth program which encourages character development and leadership training. The Scouting organization is composed of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of seven and 20.