On 19th and 20th August, nine of our Scouts took part in a District held ‘Search and Rescue Activity’. Here’s what two of those Scouts – Cody and Josh, had to say about it. When we got to Forest Camp, we carried our equipment to the I.C.C. (Incident Control Centre), where we were given a briefing and GPS unit. We were then told to search a sector of the forest for possible casualties.

Josh – We were very tired, but it was a fun experience.

We found the casualty, which we had to report to the I.C.C. – we also used basic First Aid to like checking the pulse and airways. We had to set up an emergency shelter, where we could keep the casualty sheltered and to also set up a sleeping area (some of us didn’t get much sleep). We then radioed in to the I.C.C., where they arranged an air supply drop from a ‘helicopter’ – once the supplies had been dropped, we used a GPS to find them and bring them back to the base. Using the supplies, we were able to treat the casualty and also feed ourselves. After receiving the supplies and attending to the casualty, we were instructed to radio in to the I.C.C. at a set time every hour. In the morning, we had to pack up base and take our equipment and the casualty to the I.C.C.

Cody – Very tiring, but it felt real. Will definitely go again!