May 2022
Time to make: 2 hours
Boys Life "Slide of the Month"
Dec. 1987, page 73
Original design: Bill Fleming
The original intent for this slide was to show one's rank by carving a square knot. (Green and yellow for Second class, red, white and blue for Eagle for example.) This square knot represents the Heroism Medal Award and though I never received this award, I wanted to tell you my "Scouts in Action" story as a teen. (Yes, there are others stories but those are as an Adult.)
One summer vacation I was working for Berkshire Farm Center for Youth in the maintenance department. As we were leaving the paint shop, the was a commotion another shop over and our boss yelled for the driver of a rack truck to stop. Several men loaded an unresponsive co-worker on the open tailgate of the truck and yelled at the driver to get to the infirmary. I don't what processed me but as the truck started to move, I ran and jumped onto the truck. Having learned First Aid in Scouting, I checked this man's vitals. CRAP, I thought - he wasn't breathing and had no heart beat. I tilted the man's head back and got two breaths in before we arrived at the infirmary. Before I knew it, the head nurse was at my side with oxygen and started bagging as I performed CPR. When the volunteer ambulance arrived, there was only a driver and one crew member. The nurse and I continued CPR all the way in to the ER (approx 1/2 hour). Happily, the co-worker survived and live many more years. Though I was a teen at the time, it was the start of my path of working with volunteer Fire Departments and Rescue Squads.
Carved from maple, this took a sharp knife and a steady hand. Lots of sharpening because the knife had to be razor sharp. The slide is painted with hobby paints and sealed with a couple of coats of poly.
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