March 20th, 2017

Featured Stories

LOST

Thank you Troop 384!

Tour and Activity Plan Terminated FAQ

American Red Cross Wilderness and Remote First Aid Course SIGN UP ASAP

Socks, Socks, Socks

Swamp Swim!

New

NESA

Congratulations to our Awardees!

New

Philmont Space Available!

We have a crew going on a 12 day trek to Philmont this summer. Care to join? There are 2 youth spots open!

Date: July 6-20th (Including travel time)

Cost: $900 each spot

Contact: Jeff Lambert

New

American Red Cross Wilderness and Remote First Aid Course SIGN UP ASAP

On the weekend of May 20 -21 AND June 3-4, 2017 (from 0700-1830 on Saturday and 1215 to 1745 on Sunday) I am planning to offer the American Red Cross (ARC) Wilderness and Remote First Aid  (WRFA) course in San Clemente. WRFA program is based on the BSA Wilderness First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines with enhanced content to meet OSHA's best practices for Workplace First Aid Programs. Participants must be 14 years of age and have current CPR certification from either ARC or AHA or equivalent (see below for a CPR course I have scheduled prior to this WRFA course if you are interested). Please be advised that the course will conform to the ARC requirements.

The class is a 16 hour course so both Saturday and Sunday attendance is required. If you would like to take this course, please sign-up with me via email response (jbrooksj@cox.net) providing me with your name, course, phone number, unit and course date.  I will also have a waiting list made, if necessary. The cost will be $90 for registered scouts / scouters. The fee is to cover ARC participant fees, the cost of materials , books, supplies, lunch and snacks. Interested scouts/adults who wish to take the course are encouraged to sign-up as soon as possible as the class is limited per ARC rules. I will also be providing participants with some additional first aid materials and supplies I think this will be helpful in addition to the WRFA required material. Please sign up ASAP. Further details will be sent later to those who enroll. Certification is valid for a two year period.

Very briefly the class objectives are to cover: identification of delayed help emergency situations; identify causes and prevention of injuries in wilderness areas; learn proper preparation for journeys into the backcountry; learn emergency actions steps for first aid response when EMS is not readily available; basic and some more advanced first aid technics; learn how to respond to an emotionally upset victim; learn short distance transfer and evacuation technics; and, experience providing wilderness first aid through the means of scenarios and simulated rescues that test knowledge and skills.

For those of you needing your CPR certification the following course is accepting enrollments now.

American Red Cross CPR/AED/SFA Adult & Pediatric First Aid Course Announcement

If you are interested and can make it on Saturday, May 6, 2017 - we plan to conduct a class for American Red Cross (ARC) Certification in Cardio-Pulmonary Rescuscitation (CPR) ; Automatic External Defibrillator (AED); and Standard First Aid (SFA) covering both the pediatric (infant/child) and adult. Bonus - also certification also for Anaphylaxis / Epinephrine Auto Injector. If you can make it and are interested... email me ASAP with your name, phone number, unit and class date you with to register. Plan is from about 8:00 AM  to 5 PM.  Cost is $60 without book for registered scouts/scouters (hard copy book is $10 more). If you are planning to take Wilderness & Remote First Aid, CPR certification is required as a prerequisite.

Class will be in San Clemente and location will be sent out to those registered. Please pay attention to your email if you sign up for further details.

To register, contact me by email and tell me what course you are registering for, course date, your phone number and your unit identification and number (i.e. Troop 10) .

All courses are dependent on sufficient enrollment and class size is limited per ARC requirements and equipment limitations so sign up ASAP.

Contact Jeffrey Brooks  jbrooksj@cox.net

New

Progress @ Camp

Featured is the Cooks Helpers Cabin! Further progress made, thanks to Nancy (camp ranger) for the delicious corned beef and cabbage and all who helped!

New

Socks, Socks, Socks

New

Let's Go To Philmont in 2018!

California Inland Empire Council has been authorized to send a council contingent to Philmont Scout Ranch for a 12-day backpacking trek through the New Mexico back country.   This life changing experience is open to Scouts and Scouters throughout the council.

Participants will backpack arrive at Philmont and begin their trek on June 24 and will begin the trip home on July 6, 2018. The cost will be approximately $1,000 per participant, plus travel costs to be determined. Optional fundraising opportunities will be available for those that would like to defray the cost.

To get ready for this adventure, participants will be expected to take part in wilderness first aid training, training hikes and backpacking outings.  

The contingent has 12 openings; 9 youth and 3 adults. Priority will be given to Scouts and Scouters that will be going to Philmont for the first time, and those from smaller units. More details will be coming as planning progresses.

Those interested in the CIEC Philmont 2018 trek should contact John Vineyard, Contingent Leader, at MRDChair@gmail.com.

New

Last Polar Camp of the Year!

Troop 148 from Temecula staffed the last Cub Scout Polar Camp of the season at Camp Emerson March 10-12. Despite the lack of snow and summer weather I think all the Cubs and their parents of Packs 67,78, 148, 205, 329, and 2399 had a fun and memorable time.

New

LOST

Click here for flyer

Register here

New

Western Region P.R.A.Y Honor Roll

Thank you for your council’s promotion of religious emblems programs for the past year.  BSA’s overall usage of the P.R.A.Y. awards increased by 7% in 2016. As the Western Region representative to the P.R.A.Y. Board, I am pleased to share with you the 2016 council usage report for Protestant religious emblems earned by each council.  P.R.A.Y. has created three “honor rolls” to recognize councils with the largest numeric and percentage increases and the most recipients. Congratulations to those councils appearing on these honor rolls!

Although P.R.A.Y. awards are strictly for Protestant and Independent Christian Churches, this data can serve as a barometer for councils in the promotion of Duty to God.  Religious awards are individual awards, completed between a Scout and their clergy, and provide many faith leaders exposure to Scouts and Scouting programs. 

On November 1, P.R.A.Y. launched a new dynamic and informational website www.praypub.org and the BSA page, www.praypub.org/bsa. Many valuable resources for your staff and volunteers can be found there on religious emblem coordinators, faith-based initiatives, and direct links to the awards for all faiths recognized in Duty to God programming. Please share these reports with your staff and appropriate Council volunteers.

In addition to the website launch, P.R.A.Y. welcomed Jason Noland, its third CEO in the organization’s nearly 40-year history. If there is anything P.R.A.Y. can do to help your council in the identification of new partners, or provide acknowledgment opportunities for your Scouts, do not hesitate to call Jason at 1-800-933-7729.

New

Thank you Troop 384!

I just wanted to let you know what a favorable impression your scouts and leaders made this past weekend (March 11-12, 2017) on their backpack trip along the Boy Scout trail in Joshua Tree National Park. I was roving the trail Sunday morning when I contacted the group at the junction of the Boy Scout and Willow Hole trails. I was greeted warmly and we had a nice discussion and then I walked out the remainder of the way to the trailhead with your troop. The scouts were very polite, well mannered, and listened well to their leaders. I observed that the leaders provided excellent role modeling, positive encouragement, and instruction to the scouts which was enthusiastically received.

We do not see enough young people in the national parks and I am always encouraged when I run across groups, such as Temecula Troop 384, while conducting backcountry patrols at Joshua Tree. Please give a shout out to your leaders and scouts for a job well done and please encourage all of the members of your troop to hike and backpack in our park.

Dave Neumann
Volunteer Master Ranger Corp
Joshua Tree National Park

New

Tour and Activity Plan Terminated FAQ

A cross-functional team has completed an evaluation of the BSA's Tour and Activity Plan, resulting in a recommendation to terminate the plan effective April 1, 2017. We recognize that those who were using the tool may wish to know why so the following FAQs have been developed.  

We recommend that you sign up for the weekly Scouting Wire newsletter to ensure you receive updates directly in your inbox.

Q. What does this mean for me, my unit, my council, and the Scouting family?

• Reduces complexity, cutting back on processes and paperwork for unit leaders.
• Increases consistency with the Commitment to Safety, the Guide to Safe Scouting, Risk Assessment Strategy, as well as Camp Standards planning tools.
• Changes the conversation, engaging everyone in risk-based planning vs. process.
• Eliminates processing, freeing staff to focus on membership and removing administrative burden.

Q. What is the new process?

1. There is no required process, although Scouters are reminded to conduct the Scouting program consistent with BSA rules, regulations, and policies. Flexible risk assessment tools are summarized in the Guide to Safe Scouting, and detailed in the Enterprise Risk Management Guidebook.

Q. Will there be a replacement for the Tour and Activity Plan?

A. No.

Q. Will units have to file any trip forms of any kind? Is there any REQUIRED notification to council for trips?

A. No, however the BSA program includes several planning tools (Checklists, The Sweet 16 of BSA Safety, Flying Plan) that are designed not for “filing,” but to prompt discussions/conversations about risks.  

Q. Why are you terminating the plan?

1.  In addition to the above reasons, the BSA has adopted a flexible risk assessment strategy for your use. This is summarized in the Guide to Safe Scouting, and detailed in the Enterprise Risk Management Guidebook. Knowing and running the program as designed includes numerous safety features.

Q. Does this include Exploring?

1. Yes, the manual process Exploring has used for Outing permits in the past is also discontinued.

Q. This is the first I’m hearing of this, why?

A. The termination of the plan is effective on April 1, 2017.  

Q. Will the entire activity plan idea go away?

A. No, having a plan is part of “Be Prepared.” Planning is integral into the program literature.  

Q. What will this mean for considering safety on these outings?

A. The Scouting program, as contained in our handbooks and literature, integrates many safety features. However, no policy or procedure will replace the review and vigilance of trusted adults and leaders at the point of program execution. Source: Commitment to Safety

Q. Is the change simply, “We don't have to fill out a Tour and Activity Plan anymore?” All the other steps are the same?

A. The program hasn’t changed. For example, permission from parents is still needed to take youth on a trip, as would be program requirements for annual health and medical records for all participants. The Cub Scouts camping program is still limited to council-approved locations, and so on.  

Q. Has all literature been updated to reflect this change?

A. Key documents are either updated or in the process of being updated. Other literature will be updated in the normal revision cycle, so it may take several years to complete. If you find something to be updated, feel free to let us know with the “Got Questions” link to the left.

Insurance Questions:

Based on initial feedback, many questions have arisen on insurance. The elimination of the tour and activity plan was not driven by insurance, or the many myths/misconceptions including “ … you have to file a Tour and Activity Plan, and/or be in a field uniform to have insurance … ” surrounding insurance. The following insurance related FAQs and sources are offered.  

Q. Will the liability insurance policy still provide coverage if a tour and activity plan is no longer required?

A. Yes. Registered volunteers are provided primary general liability insurance coverage for official Scouting activities except when using an automobile or watercraft. A volunteer’s (whether registered or not) automobile liability insurance is primary with the local council automobile policy providing excess automobile coverage. Non-registered volunteers are provided excess general liability and automobile liability insurance coverage for official Scouting activities. Link. There is not a requirement to fill out a form for coverage.

Q. What is an official Scouting activity?

A.  An official Scouting activity is defined in the insurance policy as consistent with the values, Charter and Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, the operations manuals, and applicable literature of the Boy Scouts of America. Link.

New

Swamp Swim!

New

Camp Use Update

Cartoon Corner

Thoughts from the Scout Executive:

Positive Prayer, Quote and Poem
--------------------------------

"Leave it better than you found it."

~Robert Baden-Powell

Poems of Philmont

Which Days?

When the sun starts moving north again?

When you hear the whirring Sandhills fly overhead?

When you say your story in a paperwhite flurry of intoxicating garlic?

When the wind shushes down at dusk and you glimmer the evening star?

When you swirl wihin that river of stars circling round and round above your heads?

Oh, Today!

~Greg Hobbs

Joe Daniszewski
Scout Executive/CEO
California Inland Empire Council

California Inland Empire Council, BSA
PO Box 8910
1230 Indiana Court
Redlands, CA 92374
909.793.2463, Ext. 120
877.732.1450 FREE
909.793.0306 Fax

Monday Memo is from Scout Executive Joe Daniszewski and contains his reflection on what is happening within the Council. The purpose of Monday Memo is to communicate information about the week ahead, to acknowledge the good things happening around the Council and to address specific issues that the Scout Executive wants to bring to your attention. Joe welcomes any comments, suggestions or recommendations on how to make this memo as helpful as possible. If you have something you want publicized in the Monday Memo, please send it to his attention c/o Monday Memo: Joseph.Daniszewski@scouting.org for Monday Memo Archives Click Here