HEATWAVE

Long time no see! We are near to the end of this term, as we approach the Summer Break, almost like the end of a scouting year, depends how you count it, I tend to measure a year from September!

The weather is Hot and the park near our HQ is very inviting for wide games, the water relays, with the outdoors being the main theme of almost every meeting.

I have noticed that parents tune-in to the weather especially well when it's rainy and cold but for the Summer season, things tend to get a bit simpler. No worries, Summer calls for less clothes!

Sometimes the transit between the seasons is slow in scouting mainly because of the uniform and the regular meetings indoors, in the Scout Hut. So I think it is a good idea to have a few general guidelines ready and to let parents know that being summer and being scouts we will be mostly outside and possibly playing with water a lot!

Do this as a cover-all statement, as the seasons change, not like a letter for a particular event...

This way you can rely on their educated common sense to send the young scouts ready for outdoors, even when you have not planned a visit to a near by field for a wide game, obviously if the field trip or the visit does warrant an activity notification and an information form this is covered already.

The beaver and cub jumpers or the scout shirt are too hot for games outdoors on a 28C hot summers day! Can they bring a t-shirt to change to for games? Especially if there's water relays and games involved and the weather is not that hot!

High factor Sun screen is necessary, even on nice cool days outdoors. Remember, we can not apply it to our young members and we expect them to have it on before they arrive at the HQ, covering parts that the t-shirt wont cover.

A bottle of water is good practice, although Scout Huts have water and cups, it still shows initiative and good thinking. Also imagine, if during a heatwave the HQ has the water cut off, you need to drink to play! I realise this is not practical but imagine if you manage to convince all scouts to have a bottle of water in the backpacks!


A hat is always a great idea, this is like saying that appropriate shoes for games are also a good idea.


Scout huts need to have a good 1st aid field box, something to pick up and go, it will patch a grazed knee quickly and get you back to the game without delays.

In my experience a small kit with:

• Nitrile gloves
• Sterile water
• Sterile gauze to clean small cuts and wounds 
• Selection of wide plasters or adhesive tape 

all these are more than enough to cover the grazed knee. For anything more than a graze, you'll probably stop the game and seek further 1st aid or assistance anyway, so don't take this as the basic first aid advice.

Extend your knowledge to the young Scouts, highlight three things:

1. Equip: Sunscreen & Water, have them, use them!
2. Plan: Avoid working hard on hot hours of the day
3. Care: Keep an eye on elderly, family members, neighbours, they might suffer.

Also, pets must not be left in hot small confined areas, like cars.


Finally, I spend sometime refreshing my first aid and I use the Red Cross application on my iPad, excellent app but the info is also available on the Red Cross website, I submit this link for Heatwave advice. Be Prepared for Heatwave

That's all! Scouting is Outdoors, get going!