Boy Scouts sued for $14M over fire

[Hobarticus]

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- The federal government and the state of Utah sued the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday for nearly $14 million to recover the costs of a 2002 fire at a Scout camp.

The lawsuit alleges that about 20 Boy Scouts ages 11 to 14 were left without adult supervision for a night outside an approved campground. Some of the boys built fires that were left to smolder and spread across more than 14,000 acres, the lawsuit says.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/29/boy.scouts.sued.ap/index.html

[Ripley]

1. The BSA attorney blames the fires on ATV's????

Excuse me, am I missing something? How do ATV's start fires? They should pay the damn fine like anyone else has to that starts a fire.

I guess other than being negligent leaders (who left the kids camping alone), the Scout Masters clearly never taught the boys basic camping skills.

[denverbill]

3. Vehicles do start fires. Happened last year in Colorado.

Somebody pulled off the road, and the heat from their engine started a fire underneath the car or truck which turned into a pretty major fire.

[Ripley]

5. I didn't realize that happened very often.

But it sounds like a weak rebuttle to the fact that the boy scouts actually were in that very area and did leave embers smoldering in an actual fire, not a "possible vehicle fire."

Thanks for clarifying.

[One_Life_To_Give]

4. I/C Engine's and Fires

"How do ATV's start fires?"

Actually the engine and exhaust are hot enough to start a fire. Any debris that get in around the engine/exhaust could ignite. Newer models have added provisions to reduce the possibility of starting a fire.

As for the fine. BSA is insured so they won't suffer directly. But I am certain their insurance carrier doesn't want to pay 14 mil if they can avoid it.

[bahrbearian]

6. I started my feild on fire by mowing it ?

some grass got caught up in the drive belt, heated up, fell off and started the fire.

[joeybee12]

2. Reminds me of a bumper sticker: America is turning back to values

that the Boy Scouts never left."

Or something like that.

It infuriates me--my first thought was they consider homphobia a value. I guess they also consider shirking responsibility a value as well.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

7. 11 to 14 year-olds left unsupervised overnight?

And nobody was arrested for child endangerment?

[sbreen]

10. i agree

What were they thinking...that is so young

[newyawker99]

15. Hi sbreen!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[PROGRESSIVE1]

8. The Boyscouts first support Bigoty against Homosexuals and know...

they are Anti-Enviroment???

:wtf:

Are the Boyscouts a Wing of the Republican Party???

:wtf:

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. Boy Scouts of America receives major support

from the Mormon Church. It is their de facto male youth program, so I guess in a sense it is a sort of wing of the republican party, since they kind of have to do like they do.

There is a strict 2 deep adult leadership policy when it comes to camping anyplace with the boys in the BSA, so this kind of thing should never happen. Anybody who has ever been responsible for a group of 11-13 year old boys knows that you can't leave them to their own devices for very long. There is always one or two that love to play with matches or will find some kind of trouble to get into.

[happyslug]

11. Under Welfare Rules they are old enough to be alone without Supervision

Under Regulations of my State's Department of Welfare, Children of this age DO NOT NEED DAYCARE (Even in the Summer non-schools Months). One set of welfare regulations even uses age SIX as the cut off to most day care (This is the FEDERAL MINIMUM i.e. any state CAN adopt a cut off of day care for children over age 6, as part of that state's Welfare to Work program, on the other hand the Federal Government will NOT pay for day care for children OVER age 12).

My point here is leaving children of this age alone is not only LEGAL but ENCOURAGED by the Federal Government. It is this by definition NOT child abandonment.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. This is good to know.

It addresses the problem of "latch-key" children I think. They convienently need to address the real problems faced by working mothers. So they simply relaxed the rules to fit the Welfare to Work plan. Child endangerment is a complicated issue.

[RetroLounge]

12. Well, thank god they don't allow Gays in Boy Scouts

or this would have really gotten ugly...

</Sarcasm Off>

[hightime]

14. Are you saying flamers in the scouts would cause more fires?

[Deja Q]

16. Well, somebody's camping badge should be revoked...

What's left to say? Bizarroworld.