One of the moms in my troop requested a field trip to a first aid squad, so I delivered! I reached out to our local first aid squad and asked if we could take a field trip to learn about the vehicles and equipment the EMTs use to save people's lives. Along with earning the First Aid badge through this meeting and visit, the girls also earned the Safety Award pin.
Safety Award:
I found a free printable on Pinterest from Cluttered Genius to help the girls earn the Safety Award. Essentially, it's a foldable activity. I pre-cut all the pieces so that all the girls had to do was glue images on the front of the flap and then glue the corresponding safety information on the inside. We identified which safety information was First Aid, Water Safety, Fire Safety, and Emergency.
3. Make a first aid kit
After the Safety Award activity, the girls put together first aid kits. I found first aid bags on Amazon, as well as Girl Scouts-themed bandaids, antibacterial lotion, sanitizer wipes, hydrocortisone lotion, and individually wrapped cotton swabs. I also found emergency contact and poisonous plant printables from Troop Leader Mom that the girls can keep in their kits.
4. Learn how to treat minor injuries
After the girls put everything in their first aid kits, we talked about what each item was for. When would you need to use a bandage? Why would you put antibacterial ointment on first? Should you touch a wound with your finger or apply ointment with a cotton swab? What is hydrocortisone lotion used for?
5. Know how to prevent and treat outdoor injuries
One of the suggested activities for this was to talk about identifying poison ivy and the like. So I used the poisonous plant printable from the first aid kits to go over what those plants look like and why we don't want to touch them - or wander off the path or touch random plants whenever we are outdoors because you might accidentally touch poison ivy.
1. Find out how to get help from 911
To introduce the EMTs, I asked the girls what number to call in case of an emergency (they all knew the answer), and I explained how the person they talk to on the phone contacts the EMTs. Then I asked the girls what information they thought would be important for the 911 operator and EMTs to know: your name, your location, what happened, etc.
2. Talk to someone who treats injured people
And from there, I turned it over to the first aid squad. They gave the girls a tour of the facility, let them climb into an ambulance, gave each girl a turn on the stretcher, and then gave the girls goodie bags at the end.
Don't be discouraged if you contact your local first aid squad and don't hear back right away. It took me a month to set up our meeting because the EMTs were so busy during the month of December when I first contacted them. (I'm not sure if a busy first aid squad is a good thing...) Just keep reaching out and maybe reach out to more than one squad if you're able. Ask other leaders in your service unit for contact information in case another troop has already done it and can help connect you.
Has your troop earned the First Aid badge? Did you do a field trip? What field trips have your girls really enjoyed?
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