Camping Safety
Fire Saftey
- Respect campfires
- Do not play with fires or around them.
- No flames in tents. No tent is completely fireproof. Do not use flammable chemical near tents like aerosols (bug spray) or charcoal lighter. Do not pitch your tent close to a campfire.
- Gray ashes can fool you. They may be just as hot as a flame. They can burn just as well, too.
- Ask permission to throw wood or other things on the campfire. Do not throw plastic (juice boxes have plastic) on the fire. They smell, make a mess and probably put off toxic fumes.
- Put out your campfires with water before leaving.
- Use a campfire ring if available.
- Ground fires can leave their trace for thousands of years.
Lantern and Stove Safety
- Respect lanterns and stoves
- Adults should supervise the use of chemical fuel lanterns and stoves.
- Never use a chemical fuel lantern or stove too close to a fire or inside a tent.
- Do not leave a stove or lantern unattended.
- Gas (propane) lanterns are hot to the touch and can burn you; use the handle.
- Lanterns have glass cylinders that are very fragile. If you break glass, call an adult to help clean up. Warn others so they do not step in the broken glass.
- Lanterns and stoves are not toys, they’re tools, do not play with them.
- The battery lanterns will not hurt you -- be sure you know which type of lantern you have.
Campsite Etiquette and Safety
- Try not to walk through another den's campsite when you’re going somewhere. If you’re visiting another Scout in the den that’s fine, but don’t make it a shortcut.
- Be especially careful of campsite that belong to other campers who are not in the Pack.
- Put your trash in trash bags, not on the ground.
Sticks
- If a stick goes in the fire, it stays there.
- Do not run with sticks or other sharp objects. You could hurt yourself or your den leader.
- Do not hit others with sticks Turn carefully. You could put out someone's eye. If you are on a bike, do not carry a stick.
Bikes
- Wear helmets.
- Ride your bikes in open areas and trails only.
- Do not ride between cars or through other people's campsites.
- Your parents have expensive cars, you do not want to have to pay for repainting them.
- It is a good idea to scope out an area or route on foot first so that you will know if there are any obstacles.
- People on foot have the right of way, slow down and show them courtesy.
Exploration
- If you are going anywhere, tell your leader and tell your parent.
- Do not go anywhere alone; bring a buddy. If you get in trouble, your buddy can go back for help. R
- unning in the Dark is a very bad idea, particularly around the tents. You can trip and hurt yourself badly. In other packs and troops, scouts have broken legs and arms, which put a stop to their fun.