ALLAGASH, Maine — A staff member with the Boy Scouts of America’s Katahdin Area Council was in violation of established safety policies when he was injured going over Allagash Falls as part of a scouting activity earlier this week.
The staff member has since been fired and officials with the Maine Department of Conservation investigated the incident.
According to written comments emailed by Marshall Steinmann, executive director of the Katahdin Area Council, the unnamed staff member was part of a weeklong trek with the Maine High Adventure program down the Allagash River with a group of scouts.
On Wednesday, the group was preparing for an activity involving floating down the river with life jackets and helmets — a practice often called “rump-bumping.”
“However, the staff member chose to demonstrate the proper technique in an unsanctioned area near Allagash Falls instead of the sanctioned area below the falls,” Steinmann said in his email. “During the demonstration, the staff member was injured.”
A volunteer leader in the group, trained in wilderness first aid, responded and remained with the staff member as he was transported by canoe to the town of Allagash, about a mile below the falls.
Darlene Kelly Dumond was helping to close up the family’s Two River Diner on Wednesday afternoon when she heard commotion coming from the river.
“I was just helping close up the diner when I heard someone come screaming up over the riverbank,” Kelly Dumond said. “They had him in the canoe and wanted us to call 911.”
The staff member was taken by ambulance to Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent where he was treated and released.
Kelly Dumond said the man was very lucky.
“I’ve never heard of anyone doing this before,” she said.
“Fortunately he did not sustain major injuries and no scouts were involved in this incident,” Steinmann said. “However the staff member’s employment was terminated due to a violation of our safety policy.”
The state Department of Conservation investigation, according to Jeanne Curran, department spokesperson, determined that the incident was an accident involving “self rescue” and no further action will be taken.
Curran did add that the drop at Allagash Falls is around 40 feet where the water is currently running at 1,000-cubic-feet per second.
“That is relatively high and fast,” she said. “As much as we want people to enjoy our wilderness, they need to remember accidents can happen on the waterway and to always be as safe as possible.”
Safety is a number one concern with the Boy Scouts, Steinmann said.
“The health and safety of our youth and adult members is of paramount importance to the Boy Scouts of America,” he said. “Scouting provides its members and volunteers with extensive guidelines and policies as well as training opportunities for the safety of its members in scouting activities and programs.”
Got to love the boy scouts…..they are loyal to no one other but themselves…
they are not loyal when you violate policy. they dont want people hurt and allot of what boy scouts do is far more dangerous than playing video games.
Yeah I have seen a lot of professional ‘boy scouts’ in later adult life….pffffffft.
I thought that this was and Adventure Camp!
Where is the Adventure in following policy?
Just like Girl Scouts.
Not quite….
The Girl Scout policy with regard to the sexual orientation of its members, volunteers and staff states “there are no membership policies on sexual preference,” which means that unlike the Boy Scouts and their policy regarding homosexual male adults, the Girl Scouts allow lesbians to serve as leaders.
Ahhhh, now we see what you’re trying to do here………
As long as you can push those cookies on the public, they’ll take you.
….
Bringing up the membership policy of the organization is a bit of a red herring… It has nothing to do with the reason for the firing, which was violating the safety rules in place for the outing.
But since you brought it up, homosexual men also can’t be Girl Scout leaders.
Lesbians are OK, but nobody with male plumbing is allowed to participate except as a driver or observer. BSA doesn’t care what the gender of their leaders is.
Nope. Totally not related to the article, but any adult, male or female, who accepts the Girl Scout Law can be a leader.
From http://www.girlscoutssa.org/faq.php: “Adult men can volunteer in Girl Scouting in every capacity that women can. However, as one of the most valuable parts of a girls experience is gained through role modeling, each troop must have at least one female Leader.”
I was the only male member of my daughters troop until this year. For some reason my application was rejectd this time around. We did have a few new moms that were upset about me being there and said they were going to call the GS office and complain. Guess they got their way. My wife was the co-leader of the troop as well. Needless to say, both my wife and daughter are no longer members of the troop. My daughter will countinue Girl Scouts as a Julliette.
Sorry to hear it.
Maybe he’s training to be a Navy Seal
it is a rather disturbing headline when you first glance at it – scouting staffer, “rump-bumping” and fired. Way to play the words for shock BDN.
Crapola….
Crapola Just like the dolbylandfill.
The BSA’s policies are dictated by it’s sponsors/supporters. The largest of those include conservative churches like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Catholics, the Baptists, etc. If you don’t like the BSA’s policies, you have two options: Don’t join OR give the BSA more $$$ than the above sponsors and then you can dictate the policies.
Sure so if any of those ‘sponsors’ or ‘supporters’ said no black people that would be ok? My kids would never belong to any group who has no backbone to stand up for what is right and not discriminate against any fellow American…..religion such an inclusive thing isn’t it? Pffffffffft.
Why do people ask others to be tolerant but screech in intolerance if you don’t agree with everything they do?
Freedom of screech perhaps?
Unfortunately, in America, MONEY TALKS.
Doing this stuff is extremely dangerous. If the river flow is low, you risk cracking your pelvis on a ledge, if the water’s high you have to know how to swim in fast current, have a safe haven already picked out, and know exactly how to get to it. And even then it’s still crazy.
Guess he won’t be getting worker’s comp now. They’ll find a way to deny him.
as well they should, since his actions and injury were in clear violation of the policy of his employment. Should your insurance company pay if you wreck your car while running from police? nope.
I thought all the positions in either Boys or Girls scouting programs was voulnteer with no pay. Guess it changed alot since I was a kid when Moms and Dads were the leaders. What we paid for dues back then wouldnt pay any kind of a salary. Hate to think what they have to pay now.
The majority of the positions are volunteer if you’re referring to the local troop/pack level. This individual was employed at a high adventure program administered by Katahadin Area Council. Basically, a camp counselor.
soooo lucky none of the boys went over with him! going over allagash falls in a pfd is CRAZY, even in july. it would be good to learn what he said to them, so our own kids can learn more about avoiding bad adult actions: did he say “now watch how i do this, then you can try some big drops too”, did he say “this is perfectly safe…” because he might have lucked out and come through uninjured, then maybe kids would have tried it (that day, or some other day)
i’ll bet he just went over the last part, not the whole falls… jeezum crow