The motto of the Boy Scouts of America is “Be Prepared.” In that spirit, Troop 581 held its 15th Annual Disaster Day this October and despite a little rain it was a huge success! Disaster Day has become a tradition in the troop. Each year the troop invites Cub Scouts from the local area for a chance to visit the troop to learn about emergency preparation, practice first aid skills, and interact with some of the county’s first responders.
The highlight of every Disaster Day is the opportunity to meet with local first responders to learn how they keep us safe. Members of the Prince William Fire Department brought several of their emergency vehicles and taught the Scouts about fire safety. They gave the Scouts a tour of their fire engines, talked about when to change the batteries in smoke detectors, and taught them what to do in case of a fire. They even brought fire extinguisher training equipment for hands on experience.
A big hit with the Scouts was Mattis, one of Prince William Police Department’s trained K-9s who demonstrated some basic commands and was a good boy.
The troop was also visited by a helicopter from PHI Air Medical. Their helicopter landed right next to the church and the flight crew gave tours of the aircraft and answered questions from Scouts about their jobs.
This year’s Disaster Day was epic and we’re already looking forward to next year!