While there is often merit to waiting for a rescue team to come in and do the job, there are times when waiting is not a good idea. When this is the case, you may need to build an improvised stretcher, and the old poles and blankets method is not the best way to go. Here is an introduction to a technique for building a good self-rescue litter using backpack frames. Study this and try it out until you can do it right every time. Regardless of how careful we are, things happen.
Children die sometimes.
Many of these deaths are the result of accidents, some come after an illness. While we hope it never happens to a Scout in your Group, the possibility is something that you should not ignore. This page is a collaborative effort with a Leader in a Scout Group in The Netherlands that lost a Scout to an accidental death three years ago. Erik's Page chronicles the trail the Group has followed through the grieving process. This is a resource we would like you to become familiar with, so that you will know where to look if the unthinkable ever happens in your Scout Group or if it happens in another Group in your District.