
A Question about How Many Meetings for First Responder
A reader sent in this question about how many meetings for First Responder:
Hi I’m a new den leader of a webelos den. And I was wondering about how long I should spend on the first responder requirement. I have a parent who’s trying to tell me it can be done in a 1 hr trip to our local fire station. I’m thinking it should take about 5 meetings or a good the better part of a Saturday. Thank you for your time
How Many Meetings for First Responder? It Depends…
Thanks for your question! First of all, remember that each den is different.
- If the group is small and really focused you can get more done in a short amount of time.
- If the group is larger and/or needs more breaks to run off energy, then it is going to take much longer.
- Meeting length can vary later. For my Webelos dens we did meetings which were 90 minutes long. But some dens have one hour meetings.
Minimalist Approach
It could probably be done in one meeting at a fire station if the firefighters were willing to help. You could do these five requirements to complete the achievement:
- Requirement 1 – Explain what first aid is. Tell what you should do after an accident
- Requirement 2- Show what to do for hurry cases of first aid: serious bleeding, heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest, stopped breathing, stroke, poisoning.
- Requirement 3 – Show how to help a choking victim.
- Requirement 4 -Show how to treat for shock
- Requirement 8 – Visit with a first responder or health-care professional
If You Add a Meeting or Two
But trying to accomplish that in one hour would be very rushed. I would probably break this into a visit and one or two meetings to allow more time. And maybe do the first aid kit (req 6) and or the readiness plan (req 7) instead of doing all first aid demonstrations. Once again, the best approach depends on the group and their attention span.
But Don’t Overdo It
On the other hand, five meetings seems like a lot. These kids are not old enough to be certified for CPR or learn advanced techniques. Keep it simple and they will retain more.
Check out the BSA video resource for First Responder (below) to see some recommended ways to complete this adventure. It may give you an idea of how many meetings for First Responder are needed.
What Do You Think?
Readers, what do you think? Add your comments below.
More Resources
Webelos First Responder Adventure Helps and Resources
See some ideas for ways to make the meetings for the First Responder adventure more engaging.
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