Fire Mountain Scout Camp

Gaches’ Farm House: GOING OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY

The Gaches’ Farm House built in 1903 has served camp staff, volunteers, and all Scouters well for all of the 48 years it has been owned by the Council.   Health and Safety issues and the need to regrade the upper parade field finally made the old farm house a greater liability than an asset.  On Saturday November 23rd several local Fire Departments burned the house down for training.  They started fires and then put them out all morning.  At noon they started a fire they did not intend to put out.  Here is a progression of pictures to give you a feel for what the 170 people in attendance experienced.   

              

After the regrading of the parade field is complete this winter we will start the construction of the new M & E Turner and Family General Store.  The new General Store will sit in roughly in the Old Farm House driveway near the current James E. West Administration building.   It will be opened in time for the 2020 summer camping season

A little less exciting, but very important to the camp is the replacement of the entire water system going on right now.  Since you will never see the water system when you visit camp here is a couple of pictures before it gets buried.        

   

Every project we complete gets us one step closer to our goal… making Fire Mountain Scout Camp one of the top Scout Camps in the entire nation.

Scott Suchan

SVP Properties Committee

Octi-Bites 

Order of the Arrow | News Worth Knowing  

…Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge visits Scouts BSA Troops and Venture Crews every year to perform unit elections, promote camping and outdoor activities, and offer cheerful service in many forms. The visitation season runs from January 1 to May 31 each year. Reach out to your Chapter Chief today to schedule your 2020 visit!  

…the youth membership of Sikhs Mox Lamonti met on Sunday, October 13 for the Lodge Annual Business Meeting. There, they elected the officers that will lead our lodge in 2020. These phenomenal young leaders are: 

Lodge Chief  Joshua Platte 

Service Vice Chief  Matthew Wiles 

Administrative Vice Chief  Andrew Dee 

Program Vice Chief  Ethan Hazard 

Inductions Vice Chief  Alexandria Visocky 

Communications Vice Chief  Jacob Jackson  

…in 2020, Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary! That’s 25 years of brotherhood, cheerfulness, and service. To join the celebration, consider some of these upcoming opportunities: 

***Pay your dues in 2020, be a part of the magic all year long! 

***Attend the Winter Fellowship, January 17-18 

***Attend the Lodge Annual Banquet, January 18 @ 6pm 

***Attend the Section W-1N Conclave, September 18-20 @ Fire Mountain! 

Give the gift of Scouting!  

The holidays are just around the corner – think Scouting!  What a great gift idea for parents, grandparents and all families to give their youth.  Just think about it.  A yearlong gift of friendships, adventures, outdoor skills and camping – just to name a few.  Scouting is a gift that keeps on giving as our first year Lions ultimately become Eagle Scouts.  

This is a great way to present our programs as you continue recruiting new members.  Look at your Journey to Excellence (JTE) Scorecard and see where you are on new scouts.  If you are a Cub Scout unit – how close are you to our Membership Committee’s 2019 Hero Challenges?    

7 Up Club:  all packs are challenged to have 1 Lion Den AND 1 Tiger Den of 7 or more Scouts by December 31.  This 7 Up Club will be invited to Fire Mountain for a FREE day of fun with a fishing frenzy, archery and more! 

 Drive for 5!:  all Family Scouting Packs are challenged to add 5 or more girls (from last year’s total) to their unit by December 31.  All young girls in the Pack will be invited to spend a FREE afternoon and evening campout with some of our local Scout BSA Troops for girls, at Fire Mountain!  

Your unit may be just a Scout or two away from these challenges.  Free hero capes and handbooks are still available for new Cub Scouts joining through the end of the year.  Do not let them miss out!  There is so much energy and excitement as they wear their red capes. 

I would like to send out a special thanks to all of our leaders, parents, volunteers and everyone else who helps share the amazing program of Scouting.  We have over 6,000 youth currently registered in our Council and that is as of October 31.  I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year will bring.   

As the membership committee works on goals for 2020, your unit should be thinking about them as well.  It is never too early to start.  How many youth do you want to add to your unit and how are you going to do that.  How does your New Member Coordinator fit into the equation?  Create your action plan and set your sights on 2020! 

By Denise Lesniak 

SR VP Membership 

Mount Baker Council 

Who says anniversaries have to come in 5’s and 10’s?

Next summer, Fire Mountain will be hosting Scouts for its 48th year in a row! Camp is taking reservations now and is already more than half full for this exciting summer season. Don’t miss out on the adventure of a lifetime!

A week spent at Fire Mountain is a legendary scout camping experience that will create a lasting impact in the lives of your Scouts. Our facilities, programs, and leadership constantly exceed the expectations of our guests.

Here’s what a few scout leaders said about their experience in 2019:

“We had an awesome experience, thanks for helping our Scouts!”

“This was one of the best camps I have attended as an adult, if not the best!”

“Campers had fun, learned, made friends, and were kept safe. Brilliant!”

Camp at Fire Mountain THIS SUMMER!

 

Visit the Mount Baker Council webpage at  

www.mountbakerbsa.org/camps

to learn more, or to register today!

It is time again for all Scouts, adult volunteers, and charter organizations to renew their membership with the Boy Scouts of America and pay their annual registration fees.  All units in our council must complete and turn in their Charter renewal no later than December 31, 2019.  

All though all our districts have already held their first Charter Turn In nights there is still time if you didn’t get yours in.  There are several things to remember to make this process easier to handle and here are a few: 

Your Districts Commissioner staff and all the volunteers in the District appreciate your assistance and they stand ready to help.  Getting all Charter Renewals completed and turned in as soon as possible lets us begin the new year with Program rather than Paper Work. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and for the very important work that you do to deliver the values of the Scout Oath and Law to our young people. 

 

Join the Fire Mountain Scout Camp Staff!

Who We Are:

For nearly 50 years, Fire Mountain Scout Camp has served the Scouts of Mount Baker Council and beyond. Our premier facilities, dynamic programs, and world-class camp staff allow us to deliver a legendary scout camping experience.

Serving as a staff member is more than just an incredibly fun summer in the outdoors. Working in the camp environment cultivates Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Interpersonal and Leadership Skills, and Creativity; all 21-st century skills that you will carry with you far beyond the camp setting.

Who You Are:

If any of these people are you, you might belong on the Fire Mountain Scout Camp Staff. Apply now to serve on our staff in Summer 2020!

To apply, scan this QR code, or visit:

https://247scouting.com/forms/form.php?OrgKey=BSA606

From my chairs in Everett and Bellingham, I can see through the window that the pace of the world is steadily increasing as the holidays approach. 

It is always one of my favorite times of the year. Not so much because of food, gifts and merriment, but significantly because – in my work in helping the instill the values of the Scout Oath and Law in our young people  – it is an opportunity to reflect on our successes and the volumes of work that is accomplished on behalf of our shared cause. 

It is also an opportunity to say “thanks” – not that we don’t always feel thankful because we do. It is simply a great opportunity to remind everyone just how thankful we truly are. 

It should come as no surprise to you that I believe, and I know, that the Scouting program is one of the most significant movements of our history as a Nation. 

Scouting does so many things that simply cannot be replicated without. 

It is also one of the most demanding personnel resource organizations in the world. It takes an army of volunteers to grease the gears of Scouting.  I am always impressed and humbled when I see someone volunteering for a few hours to help others this time of year. 

That, however, is a mere candle to the inferno that is a Scout Volunteer. The hours, the miles, the preparation, the caring, the support and the excitement that surrounds our volunteers, donors and involved parents is beyond inspiring. You are amazing. 

While many of you will never fully comprehend the business side of Scouting (fundraising, management, employees, administration, support, marketing, oversight) I can promise you this: They too deserve thanks – the team works very hard every day to keep up with that side of the house. 

The old adage, “It takes a village to raise a child,” is perhaps no better suited than it is to Scouting. 

All of us, working together makes Scouting work.  The proof is the in results of the kinds of youth we raise. An additional reason to give thanks. 

As the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I hope the holiday finds you surrounded by family and friends and, despite all the craziness in the world around us, you also find a reason to be thankful. 

I am thankful for all our Scouts, our Volunteers, our Donors and our Friends.  I wish all of you a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. 

 

Kevin Nichols 

Scout Executive 

A follow-up to Steven Davis’ thoughts from the October Mountain Echo.

 

As Steven so well described, “Scouting matters.”   It matters to each of us for different reasons, and we all have our own stories to tell.  Reflecting on these stories can help us remain involved in Scouting over time and/or help us later on to reconnect in Scouting as alumni.  

I once was asked during a Commissioner meeting to describe what Scouting had done for me.  I think it was an attempt to help me to reflect on why Scouting mattered to me.  At the time, I was a fledgling Unit Commissioner, and obviously had not been a Boy Scout as a youth.  My sons were still young Scouts and I could already see what Scouting was doing for them in terms of their character and leadership development.   But other than the interesting opportunities provided to me for donating my time as a Scout Mom, I was really perplexed about the question of what Scouting had done for me.  That meeting ran late into the night, and I went straight to bed when I got home after I checked on my sleeping family.  As I drifted off to sleep next to my snoring husband, I realized that I had my answer right there beside me. 

Like many little girls, I dreamed of being a bride someday so that I could wear a beautiful long white dress.  I repeatedly pestered my mother with the question of how would I know when I wanted to marry someone (it was all about that dress).  She usually would tell me that I would somehow just know and that would be the end of the conversation until the next time I asked. Eventually, she said that I would know because it would be a person who I knew that I could trust.  I don’t remember ever asking her again, but Mom was right. 

During college several years later, an Eagle Scout landed in my life and I realized that he was different from other people I had ever known. Forty five years ago, while wearing a beautiful long white dress, I married him because, among many reasons, I knew that I could trust him.  Scouting had helped to develop a young man who I wanted to share the rest of my life with.  

Scouting definitely matters.  Why does Scouting matter to you? 

~Sue Rhodes

Hypothermia   

With winter just around the corner, we suggest going over Hypothermia (and First Aid for it) with your Scouts this month.   

Hypothermia is an abnormally low body temperature that is dangerous, and potentially fatal if not properly cared for. Hypothermia most often occurs when individuals are exposed to extremely cold temperatures for extended periods of time. However, it can also occur in warmer environments in situations such as wearing wet clothing in windy conditions, becoming chilled from being in the rain for an extended period, or submersion in cold water. 

Sweating leads to wet clothing, which increases the possibility of becoming chilled. Dressing in layers that are easy to put on or take off will help you to avoid becoming chilled, or becoming too warm and sweating heavily in your clothes. Planning is essential before a trek or outing to make sure you are prepared for possible changes in environmental conditions. 

 GENERAL INFORMATION 

Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can be generated. A person is experiencing hypothermia when the body temperature drops 2 degrees Fahrenheit or more below that individual’s normal body temperature. Normal body temperature is usually considered to be 98.6 F (37 degrees Celsius), but many people have a normal body temperature below that level. 

Once the body temperature begins to drop, the heart, brain, and other organs start losing the ability to function properly. Left untreated, these vital organs will begin to fail, eventually leading to death. A person experiencing hypothermia often isn’t aware of their condition because the onset is gradual and, as hypothermia progresses, they become confused and agitated. 

To prevent hypothermia, be aware of your environment and dress accordingly. Cover all exposed skin surface possible to help prevent heat loss. Avoid activities and clothing that will cause you to sweat a lot. The combination of wet clothing and cold temperatures will cause more heat loss. Wear multiple layers and stay dry. 

Signs/Symptoms of Hypothermia 

As hypothermia progresses, the person will exhibit 

 Care of Hypothermia 

  1. Get the victim out of the cold.
  2. Remove wet clothing and wrap them up in warm, dry clothes. Add additional layers such as a sleeping bag, blankets, or some form of plastic to hold in body heat. 
  1. If the victim is conscious and able to swallow, offer warm liquids to drink. DO NOT give alcoholic drinks.
  2. Handle them gently. Excessive movements or rough handling can lead to cardiac arrest.
  3. Apply warm, dry compresses to the neck, chest, and groin areas. DO NOT apply heat to the arms or legs, as this speeds cold blood back to the heart, lungs, and brain, causing the core temperature to drop even more. This can be fatal. 
  1. DO NOT apply direct heat as with hot water bottles, a heating pad, or a heating lamp. This extreme heat can cause skin damage, an irregular heart rhythm, or even cardiac arrest. 
  1. If a person with severe hypothermia who is unconscious seems to not have a pulse or not be breathing, perform CPR. CPR should continue during rewarming. Sometimes, people experiencing hypothermia can be successfully resuscitated. 
  1. Get emergency care/call 911.

  Prevention of Frostbite 

How does the body lose heat? 

  RESOURCES