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DEI Highlight – Special Needs: Safety Moment on Vehicle Safety

By Warren Wenner, Special Need Scouting Committee Chairman

After reviewing the BSA’s Transporting Scouts Safety moment. My first thought was, “so what would be different for a “Scout with Disabilities?” I then thought, ” We need to have this safety moment and maybe some recommendations from our national special needs committee when transporting a Scout with a disability.”

In my experience at camps and camporees, I have seen Scouts transported improperly. For example:

  • Wheelchair Scouts being laid in the bed/back of a pickup truck without restraints and their wheelchair alongside them.
  • Scout in a golf cart or UTV with no restraints, including seatbelts or headrests.

Do we put any Scout in the back of a pickup truck???? NO!!! In The Guide to Safe Scouting, any transport by the bed/back of a pickup truck is prohibited. This is regardless of whether a Scout has special needs or not. In the NCAP Standards, all BSA UTV operators must have online and hands-on training through the ROHVA (Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association).

  • How can we help keep special needs Scouts safe when transporting them?
  • If the Scout has a headrest, a headrest is needed in the golf cart or UTV. Head restraints (also called headrests) are a safety feature attached or integrated into the top of each seat to limit the rearward movement of the occupant’s head. A few questions should be asked:
    • Does the Scout have a head restraint on their wheelchair when they travel? For example, my son does but, we take it off when he is out of the van. So, the camp may not know that.
    • Does the Scout have control of their upper body and neck? If not, they must be buckled in not just at the waist but at the upper body too. The best would be a 3-point belt.
  • All special needs Scouts should wear a helmet when they are transported.
  • Knowing how to load and unload a special needs van or bus is essential. Here are a few tips:
    • Understand how to lock and unlock a Scout into the van or bus.
    • Learn how to properly use the ramp safely when loading and unloading.
    • Use the vehicle’s flashers when loading or unloading.
    • Understand how to adjust the headrest properly.
    • If a custom chest harness/vest is used on the wheelchair, it should be secured.
    • Ensure the wheelchair brakes are locked.

A great resource is the SAFE Transportation Checklist and Pre-Trip Inspection for planning transport and completing a vehicle pre-trip inspection. The SAFE Transportation Checklist and Pre-Trip Inspection are available here. For questions, you may have about supporting Scouts with disabilities in your council, email: specialneedschair@scouting.org

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Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.