For Dallas Center Scout Troop 116, this past weekend helped them earn one of their merit badges. 

Minburn Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Case says public safety agencies ranging from Dallas County Emergency Management to Dallas County EMS assisted the scouts so they could earn their first aid and emergency preparedness merit badges.

“We had the youth spend some time in class and practicing first aid skills. We visited the Dallas County Emergency Operations Center where EMA Director A.J. Seely covered some principles of emergency preparedness with the youth. We concluded the weekend with an exercise at the Voas Nature Area where we simulated that someone had been severely injured in the park and needed help.”

Case tells Raccoon Valley Radio the scouts practiced the first aid skills they had learned while also having them make a 911 call among other things. Case says it also provided experience to the public safety officials as well and this isn’t the first time they did this type of training. 

“We did this three years ago and had a lot of really good feedback that it went well, the scouts learned a lot, the emergency responders who participated learned some things. So we were glad to be able to do it again this time.”

Case says organizations like Scout Troop 116 as a potential pipeline which could help recruit volunteers in the future.