The Montgomery County First Aid Unit, AKA Explorer Post 742, comprises of 50+ girl and boy Explorers who participate with Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad. The purpose of this Exploring First Aid Unit is to provide the youth of the surrounding area with the opportunity to learn about, and gain hands on experience in emergency care. The adult volunteer leaders of Wheaton provide training to the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level (the level just before EMT), as well as leadership and team work training.
The youth then provide standby first aid coverage to private and public events in Montgomery County, MD, Washington, DC and the surrounding metropolitan area. Most recently and notably, Exploring Post 742 staffed the 100th National Christmas Tree Lighting. This event took place on the Ellipse in President’s Park on November 30th.
There is a youth command structure in place, consisting of an Officer’s Committee made up of a Captain (the youth head of the group), one 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenants and Sergeants. The officers are responsible for planning meetings, trainings (both recruit training and ongoing refresher training), maintaining supplies and equipment, planning group activities and organizing staffing for standby events. The Captain is responsible for making sure all this work is completed and maintaining coordination and communication between the members of the Officer’s Committee, and the Unit’s adult advisors.
When the Unit sets up a first aid station at an event, the youth officers are in charge of the station and the care provided to the attendees of the event. While there is always an adult advisor present in the station, the officers handle station operations and treat the patients unless adult assistance is needed.
The events for which Explorer Post 742 provide coverage range from small 5K runs, to 50-4,000 person company picnics at Smokey Glen Farm in Gaithersburg, all the way to 250,000 – 1.8 million person events on the National Mall. Working with the National Park Service, we routinely provide coverage to the 4th of July festivities on the Mall, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the White House Easter Egg Roll, the National Christmas Tree Lighting and the Presidential Inaugurations.
All photos in this article belong to Montgomery County, Wheaton Volunteer Fire Department’s Post 742 and show past events and trainings of the Explorers. For more information about the Exploring Post, please see: The Montgomery County First Aid Unit, Explorer Post 742 | Facebook
This year, NCAC held its’ inaugural Council Pinewood Derby Championship!
In addition to races for speed at each rank, the Championship included an “outlaw” race in which adults and youth cars were welcome, even over the 50z limit.
STEM Awards
Woodshop steward, Mr. Schneeman, and Exploring Advisor Dr. Ziu also helped with the design and creation of these STEM awards!
Leadership
On November 19, dozens of Cub Scouts and STEM Scouts found their way to George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, where the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences’ Geology group hosted interactive workshops.
Webelos earned the “Earth Rocks” adventure by attending the workshop, and all Cubs earned some requirements towards their Nova: Down and Dirty STEM Award!
To learn more about the scouting Nova Awards: 
If you were to look up the meaning of Symmetry, you would find definitions that relate to mathematics, physics, and art. The 
Cub Scouts learned about the history and cultural significance of the Kolam and explored the many forms of symmetry found within them. While learning to draw different Kolam, they also gained a better understanding on the concept of fractals. Aishwariya demonstrated the traditional way Kolam are created using rice flour and sand and had the Cub Scouts do their best at creating their own. Following the workshop, Cub Scouts viewed Aishwariya’s art collection called Thalaimuraigal, Three Generations of Kolam, displayed within the Gandhi Memorial Center. The collection showcases Kolam created by Aishwariya’s grandmother, mother, and herself.
Shanthi describes Kolam as, “a versatile tool for her to explore topics she is curious about, such as cosmology, neuroscience, and math.” The connection between the art form and STEM concepts is especially clear at her art installation, Singularities and Infinities, displayed at the Katzan Art Center at American University. Pack 278 Cub Scouts ventured to the Katzan Art Center following the workshop to continue their investigation into the parallels between Art and Science.
Experimental Particle Physicist, Michael Albrow, combined prose and poetry with Shanthi’s artwork to explore and express concepts of the cosmos. Found within the Artists’ Statement, the following best explains the goal of the Fearful Symmetry NOVA; “While artists and scientists view the universe through different disciplinary lenses, there is much in common – a sense of wonder and beauty, a fascination with the unknown, the boundaries of our knowledge, the perfect symmetries and broken symmetries.” Pack 278 Cub Scouts, parents, and leaders left the day with a better understanding of how symmetry can be found within their everyday life.