At the young age of only 13 years old, local scouter, Bronson Dille, is very close to realizing his ultimate goal of Eagle Scout. In order to obtain this lofty goal a scouter must earn 21 merit badges (12 required and 9 the scouters choice), demonstrate that they live the Scout Oath and Law in their daily life, serve in a scout leadership position, and plan, develop, and give leadership to others through a service project.
For Bronson’s Eagle Scout Service Project he decided to help Weiser’s Emergency Medical Service by repainting the helipad at Weiser Memorial Hospital. Evacuation by helicopter is a key component in saving lives when patients are in critical condition. The painting of the helipad gives the pilots of Life Flight and Air St. Luke’s a more visible landing target to land on and a non-slip surface for the helicopter crew to load the patient.
The first step in the process was learning how to paint the pad correctly, for this he turned to the local painting experts, Rodda Paint in Ontario, OR. Travis Morris, Rodda Paint Sales Representative, came out and met with Bronson explaining the proper product to use, the correct techniques needed, and the equipment that would be required. The next step was to secure the product and equipment needed to complete the project. This was done through the generosity of Weiser Memorial Hospital who purchased all of the needed supplies and Rodda Paint who donated the equipment. The final step was the painting. Travis Morris assisted in getting the project started by helping grind the dilapidated paint off the concrete surface. The pad then had to be coated with a primer so that the paint would properly adhere to the surface. In order for this to happen, the paint had to be applied within 14 hours of applying the primer. While the surface was drying, small glass beads were broadcast into the paint that reflect the helicopter lights when performing a night landing, making the pad even more visible.
When asked how he was able to complete such a large project in a timely manner, Bronson was quick to thank his fellow scouters and the scout leaders of Troop 330. A large project like this requires a lot of man power and part of the Eagle Project requires the scout to track the amount of time spent by himself and others on the project. According to Bronson’s time tracking method 78 hours were donated to the community on this project.
Bronson said that his favorite part of the project came down to two things. First, he was extremely grateful for his scout troop and leaders who were so supportive of his project and for Weiser Memorial Hospital and Rodda Paint for the donation of supplies and equipment. It can be difficult to get people to come and support a service project, but not his troop. Bronson said, “I told them at a scout meeting when and where to meet and they came and supported me very willingly.” Second, “I loved the way the helipad looked when we were all done.” Although the pad is far from perfect, to a person who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the helicopter for their loved one and every second counts, it looks pretty darn good!
Local Scout Summons His Inner Eagle Power
