Boy Scouts of America | Hawkeye Area Council

 With the many programs that happen at the Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation, fun and safety go hand in hand to make it all work!

 On October 13, the Hawkeye Area Council was informed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that the camp was renewed as a "StormReady" facility through 2014!

 "StormReady" is a significant accomplishment, and shows the depth of our council's committment to prepare for all kinds of severe weather and saving lives.

 In 2009, four tornado safe rooms were built at Camp Wakonda.  Plans are in place to build five new safe rooms at Camp Waubeek, Camp Wakonda and the COPE Course in 2012 and 2013.  Funding for this new project is coming from the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Divison, Rockwell Collins Foundation and the R.J. McElroy Trust
 

NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Request for Qualifications for Design of Tornado Safe Rooms at Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation

LINN COUNTY and the HAWKEYE AREA COUNCIL, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, located in CEDAR RAPIDS, IA, have received funding through a Hazard Mitigation Grant (HMGP) through the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD) and Federal Emergency Mitigation Agency (FEMA). THE HAWKEYE AREA COUNCIL (HAC) AND LINN COUNTY are proposing five tornado safe rooms that will provide near absolute life safety for youth and adult patrons at the Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation near Central City, Iowa  in the event of high wind and tornado events.

HAC and LINN COUNTY are is requesting competitive proposals for the Architectural and Engineering design to be completed by one bidder.

The Scope of Work is as follows:

The five proposed safe rooms shall be located at the HOWARD H. CHERRY SCOUT RESERVATION near CENTRAL CITY, IA . The Safe Room shall be approximately 480 gross square feet with a safe room occupancy of 50 people. Construction type shall be with FEMA 361 and local building code compliant materials.

The contract will be the preliminary design of the safe room and compilation of the estimated budget. Preliminary design includes floor plan, site plan, and elevations of the proposed safe room. The estimated project budget is to be completed in accordance with documentation received from FEMA and HSEMD. All quotes and estimated budget line items must be justified with proper documentation.

This portion must be completed by July 15th. Architect and engineers must be available to answer questions throughout the entire grant application process. The five Safe Room’s must be designed to meet the Design and Construction Guidance for Community Safe Rooms, FEMA 361, Second Edition / August 2008.

Final design and engineering documents must meet the requirements set forth in the Design and Construction Guidance for Community Safe Rooms, FEMA 361, Second Edition/August 2008. Materials testing and rebar observation shall be included within the final design proposal.

Information Packet Available Including:
Required Federal Contract Clauses for Governmental Organizations are required with a Federal Grant . The Eligible and Ineligible expenses list.  All invoices submitted for payment requests must be broken out into safe room eligible items only. The contract will be for a lump sum, not to exceed amount.

The FEMA Region VII Safe Room Designer Checklist is to be completed and included with FEMA review construction documents. Certification is to be provided at the close of the project to verify that the project has been built to meet the design of the documents and specifications. The Instructions for FEMA VII Safe Room Designer Checklist and the FEMA VII Safe Room Designer Checklist are available.

HAC and LINN COUNTY ask for the favor of a reply noting your interest in this project. If your firm is interested in our project please contact Travis Christopher with the Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America at travis.christopher@scouting.org or (319) 862-0541.  Request for Qualifications are due to the Hawkeye Area Council by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 15th
 

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA

Contact: Travis Christopher, travis.christopher@scouting.org, (319) 432-3943

Scout Executive/CEO, Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America

May 26, 2011

Earlier today, representatives from the Iowa Department of Homeland Security, Linn County and the Hawkeye Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America met to finalize a grant agreement to provide funding for five new tornado safe rooms to be constructed at the Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation in rural Linn County near Central City, IA.

Funding for these new rooms is available through the Presidential Disaster Fund and the State (Iowa) Executive Council.  Including the local match component, $238,000 in funds will go toward the construction of five new safe rooms as well a new radio communications system

The next phase of the project will involve design and construction procurement with groundbreaking targeted for after the close of the 2011 resident camping season in August.

Local match funds were donated by great partners such as the Rockwell Collins Charitable Corporation and the R.J. McElroy Trust.

The Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation is home to four existing storm shelters, constructed in 2009.  However this project will allow full coverage for all 500 acres of the camp.  Through generous donations, the Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation expanded by 21 acres last month.  Current attendance for summer camp this season is running nearly 5% ahead over 2010 ensuring even more local youth will be patrons of the camp.

"This is a great day for Iowa, Linn County and for the safety of youth in our community.  The Boy Scouts also appreciate and thank Linn County for their help in making this a reality," said Travis Christopher, Scout Executive and CEO of the Hawkeye Area Council.

The Hawkeye Area Council, Boy Scouts of America serves over 7,000 youth in a seven county service area including Iowa, Cedar, Jones, Benton, Linn, Johnson and Washington Counties.

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The Annual Health and Medical Record was released in December 2008, and its use became mandatory on January 1, 2010. The latest update to the record consolidates all records from the National Council and the three national high-adventure base forms, enabling a single medical form to be used across all BSA activities. The new form, bin No. 680-001, supersedes the previous, catalog No. 34605; this new item should be phased in immediately as it renders the old forms obsolete.

The Annual Health and Medical Record is required for participation in all Scouting events, including day and resident camps and high-adventure bases. It should be updated no less than annually.

Highlights/changes with the 2011 update:

• The record now lives on an interactive web page on Scouting Safely. Scouts, Scouters, parents and staff can download, fill in, and print it on standard paper, and can save an electronic copy for their personal files. The link is now live at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx and should be substituted for any outdated links you may have hosting the record.
• Parts A and B-the health history and release statement-will be utilized the most.
• Part C is the physical exam.
• Part D is a review piece for participants attending any of the national high-adventure bases.
• The record 680-001 supersedes and is the equivalent for meeting day and resident camp standard requirements that for 2011 still reference No. 34605.

The frequently asked questions (FAQs), have been updated to reflect the changes in the record. We strongly encourage councils to highlight the link to the FAQs; experience indicates that 95 percent of the questions we receive are answered on this page.

If you have questions for a specific high-adventure base, please contact the base directly.

Thank you for all you do for Scouting!

 In August 2009, based upon the recommendation of the Risk Management Advisory Panel and Health and Safety Committee, Item 3 of the Winter Sports Safety section in the Guide to Safe Scouting was changed to read as follows:

“APPROPRIATE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL ACTIVITIES. THIS INCLUDES THE RECOMMENDED USE OF HELMETS FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN WINTER SPORTS SUCH AS SLEDDING AND OTHER SLIDING DEVICES. THE USE OF HELMETS IS REQUIRED FOR THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: DOWNHILL SKIING, SNOWBOARDING, AND OPERATION OF SNOWMOBILES (FULL-FACE HELMETS).”

The change can only be found at this time in the electronic version of Guide to Safe Scouting. The updated printed version should be available in January 2011.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends the following safety guidelines to improve sledding safety:

• Parents or adults must supervise children at all times while they are sledding.
• Sled only in designated areas free of fixed objects such as trees, posts, and fences.
• Do not sled on slopes that end in a street, drop-off, parking lot, river, or pond.
• All participants must sit in a forward-facing position, steering with their feet or a rope tied to the steering handles of the sled. No one should sled headfirst down a slope.
• To protect from injury, it is important to wear helmets, gloves, and layers of clothing.
• Do not sit/slide on plastic sheets or other materials that can be pierced by objects on the ground.
• Use a sled with runners and a steering mechanism, which is safer than toboggans or snow disks.
• Sled in well-lighted areas when choosing evening activities.
• Individuals with pre-existing neurological problems may be at a higher risk for injury.
  Please remember The Sweet 16 of BSA Safety, which embodies good judgment and common sense for all Scouting activities:
  
  1. Qualified Supervision
  2. Physical Fitness
  3. Buddy System
  4. Safe Area or Course
  5. Equipment Selection and Maintenance
  6. Personal Safety Equipment
  7. Safety Procedures and Policies
  8. Skill Level Limits
  9. Weather Check
  10. Planning
  11. Communication
  12. Permits and Notices
  13. First-Aid Resources
  14. Applicable Laws
  15. CPR Resources
  16. Discipline