Acadian Ambulance Explorers from the Baton Rouge area recently attended the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Winterfest in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a fun and competitive event featuring hands-on challenges for Explorers, Venturers, Sea Scouts, and older youth in Scout BSA troops.
Seven Acadian Ambulance Explorers attended the national event, which brings together youth interested in public safety, emergency services, and leadership development for hands-on competitions and training experiences. Winterfest is designed to challenge participants through realistic emergency scenarios while building skills, confidence, and teamwork.
The Acadian Ambulance Explorers team placed in the top 10 in both Medical Emergency Management and Advanced Trauma Management.
In addition to competitive events, the Explorers took part in a variety of activities, including rock climbing, rappelling, caving and climbing challenges, Stop the Bleed training, and Hemodynamic-directed CPR (HD-CPR).
The group was supported by post advisors Quality Improvement Coordinator Tripp Blanchard, EMT Roy Smith, EMT Nicholas White, EMT Billie Mayer, and EMT Julia Merkel.
This year marked Acadian Ambulance’s third time attending and competing at Winterfest. The students and advisors worked together to raise the funds necessary to participate, and their dedication and teamwork were evident throughout the event.
