Illinois Scouts Show How To Handle An Emergency

The first step when facing a medical emergency? Stay calm. Panicking is the best way to get yourself or someone else seriously hurt.

When an adult leader with Troop 199 out of Streamwood, Ill., began experiencing several abdominal pain, the Scouts knew just what to do: stay calm and get to help.

The Three Fires Council group was driving home from an outing in several different vehicles when an adult driver had to pull over due to several abdominal pain. In the front passenger seat was a First Class Scout who calmly sighted an exit without alarming anyone else in the car.

The Scout then called his Scoutmaster, who was traveling in a car behind them, to notify him of their unplanned detour. Once the group had exited the freeway, the Scouts sprang into action. Some provided first aid and comfort to the adult. Others established a patrol line to keep traffic moving.

The group called the woman’s personal doctor, who told them to get her to the nearest hospital. The Scouts consulted their GPS devices and headed to the nearest emergency medical facility, where the woman would later have surgery to have her appendix removed.

In the end, everyone was fine.

Nice job by Troop 199, indeed. That’s how you handle an emergency.