From left to right): John Walsh, HFMVA Volunteer, Lachlan Youngblut, Tracey Youngblut, and David Youngblut, Lachlan’s parents with maps that Lachlan prepared. Photo provided by John O’Donoghue
Covid 19 altered, but did not stop, the activities of Honeoye Falls Boy Scout Troop 10 or the Honeoye Falls-Mendon Volunteer Ambulance.
One particular scout, Lachlan Youngblut, was looking for a community service project with HFMVA and eventually got into contact with John Walsh, a HFMVA volunteer. John had previously presented a CPR/AED and First Aid course for Troop 10 before the pandemic restrictions went into effect.
Getting help to people who need medical care quickly is a very important part of what HFMVA does, and Lachlan aided in this effort. People who need help are often anxious until an ambulance crew is on scene. HFMVA crews use the latest navigation systems and their local knowledge to get to patients as quickly as they can. However, the navigation system is not always perfect and neither is the information callers provide to 911, creating gaps in the information provided to crews at the time of dispatch, which do not cover the precise location of trailer park homes and some apartment complexes. After discussing this need with John, Lachlan set out to map the individual location of trailer homes and apartments for every unit in HFMVA’s district. The maps that Lachlan developed using Google Maps and physically mapping each unit at each site will help HFMVA get to patients sooner, help reduce patient anxiety, and may one day save someone’s life.
All the work performed for this project was done meeting the Covid19 restrictions for HFMVA and Troop 10 scouts. Lachlan’s attitude about his volunteer scouting activity was expressed very succinctly in an email he wrote stating “Just give me some deadlines and I’m on it.”, which is the embodiment of the Scout motto “Be Prepared”.
