Safety Merit Badge

1. Safety Merit Badge

2. What is safety? Requirement 1 -safety means keeping yourself and others free from harm, and keeping control of recognized hazards to maintain an acceptable level of risk

3. Safety notebook Requirements 1a,1b,1c,1d -include a cover page, table of contents, and a page for each requirement -include articles and statistics

4. Family Fire Escape Plan Requirement 2b -Have a meeting place -Have escape routes planned out -Know who to call -Know where fire extinguishers are

5. How you contribute to the safety of everyone Requirement 3a Safety of yourself: Safety of family: Safety of community: -know where police station and hospital are -follow rules -wear seatbelts -be aware of your surroundings -know emergency contacts -warn people of suspicious activity -make good decisions -know first aid -know what animals are in the area -ignore peer pressure -follow water safety

6. How Your Family Can Protect Themselves Requirement 3b Assault: -don’t carry illegal weapons -avoid excessive drinking -walk away from heated arguments -don’t wear headphones when you’re alone Accidents: Fire: Burglary: Robbery: -have fire escape plan -keep porch lights on -walk towards traffic -keep halls/stairs clear -keep curtains away from stove -don’t leave money out in open -don’t walk alone at night -clean up spills immediately -secure rugs -keep matches away from children -know your neighbors -don’t hitchhike -know what hazards exist in home -keep doors/windows locked -avoid alleys, wooded areas, etc -don’t leave pans unattended -keep electronics away from water -keep expensive things away -don’t wear expensive jewelry in public -have working smoke detectors

7. Online Safety Requirement 3c -keep personal information private -don’t meet with anyone you met online -don’t accept anything if you don’t know who sent it or what it is -compare at least 3 websites to ensure accurate information -tell an adult if someone said something that confused or worried you

8. Preventing Identity Theft Requirement 3c continued -take mail out everyday -shred anything with personal info on it -limit number of identification cards you have -strengthen passwords -monitor financial/medical statements -make sure sites you share info with are secure

9. 3 R’s of Youth Protection Requirement 3d Recognize-recognize situations that could put you at risk Resist- resist when someone’s going against safety guidelines Report- report attempted abuse or an activity you think is wrong

10. How To Recognize Child Abuse Requirement 3d continued -physical marks -lacks adult supervision -always paranoid like something bad is gonna happen -frightened of parents -sudden changes in behavior or school performance Physical Abuse-intentional injury from an adult Emotional abuse-occurs when an adult needlessly hurts a child’s self esteem Neglect-happens when caregiver purposely fails to provide child’s basic needs

11. What To Do In Emergency At A Public Place Requirement 4 -take note of all the exits and where they’re located at -if you’re outside take note of nearest shelters -see if the building has a fire plan -stay in groups -see if there’s any hazards to keep you from leaving

12. Emergency Action Plan For 5 Activities Requirement 5 At your place of worship Reasons: Possible Hazards: Action to correct hazard: -if steps are unmarked someone can fall -fire -know where fire extinguishers are -if rugs are loose someone can trip -loose carpets -watch where you walk -unmarked steps -secure carpets -if curtains are hanging by candles itr can start a fire -keep curtains away from candles

13. Emergency Action Plan For 5 Activities Requirement 5 continued At a theater Action to correct hazards: Reasons: Possible hazards: -don’t put garbage on floor -when the lights go out someone can slip or fall -there’s always foods, drinks, and containers on floor -clean up spills immediately -watch where you walk

14. Emergency Action Plan For 5 Activities Requirement 5 continued On a picnic Reasons: Possible hazards: Actions to correct hazards: -food poisoning -cook food at right temperatures -dehydration could lead to heat cramps or heat exhaustion -dehydration -drink plenty of water -if food isn’t cooked right or if it goes bad you can get sick -sunburn -keep perishable foods cold

15. Emergency Action Plan For 5 Activities Requirement 5 continued At a beach Reasons: Possible hazards: Actions to correct hazards: -sunburn raises risk of skin cancer -drowning -wear sunscreen -drowning is fatal -sunburn -avoid swimming near rocks -some jellyfish are poisonous and can kill you -stings -watch where you swim -avoid swimming in jellyfish infested waters

16. Emergency Action Plan For 5 Activities Requirement 5 continued While traveling Reasons: Possible hazards: Actions to correct hazards: -if you’re not careful while driving you could get into an accident -car accidents -be careful while driving -health issues -be up to date on immunizations -if you don’t have immunizations you’re more at risk of getting sick

17. Plan And Complete Safety Project Requirement 6 Ideas -correct all safety hazards found from your checklist -go around your neighborhood and pass out safety checklists -create safety posters and post them in your neighborhood -develop emergency evacuation plan for your unit meeting place -plan and run a safety information booth at a fair

18. National Terrorism Advisory System Requirement 7 -NTAS is a terrorism threat advisory scale, and it’s used by the US Department of Homeland Security - People should follow the guidance provided by state/local officials and report suspicious activity -types of advisories include bulletin, elevated alert, and imminent alert -They should also review the info in the Alert or Bulletin -Bulletin: describes current developments of threats of terrorism -NTAS advisories will include what communities and individuals can do to protect themselves as well as help detect or prevent an attack -elevated alert: warns of a credible threat against the US -imminent alert: warns of a specific and impending terrorism threat

19. Career Opportunities in Field of Safety Requirement 8 3 examples: Firefighter: -firefighter Education-driver’s license, high school diploma, fire academy -paramedic Training-written test, EMT certification, candidate physical ability test -doctor Experience-typically takes 3-4 months to become a firefighter, but can take 5-7 years if you want to enhance your career-