Scouting, Volume 78, Number 4, September 1990 Page: 52
98, E1-E12, [8] p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Lifeline'89
T~ T"ERE'S A RESCUE DEVICE
a 1 proj ect that can drive home viv-
■M. JL idly to our youth members the
meaning of "to help others" as they
pledge in the Promise.
Lifeline '89 is a simple gadget, easy to
fabricate, inexpensive, and useful to save
lives in water or through-the-ice acci-
dents. Also, the lifelines can be gifts to
boaters, sailors, fishermen, hunters,
skaters, policemen, firemen, and rescue
squads. And there's a possibility that
packs and troops might even be able to
earn a few dollars in selling the devices.
Some Minnesota law enforcement offi-
cials and Cub Scouters dreamed up Life-
line '89 last year. David and Marsha
Marquardt of Forest Lake, Irv Moen of
Willmar, and their fellow Scouters have
helped Cub Scouts in Packs 227 and 250
make several hundred of them.
Lifeline '89 is made from a gallon-size
plastic jug with its cap and from 50 to 70
feet of quarter- to half-inch, braided,
nylon line. Moen, who submitted the idea
to Scouting, inserts a quarter-inch brass
grommet around the hole in the bottom
center of the jug.
He believes that unless you do so, the
rope when tugged will tear open the bot-
tom of the jug. But having to insert the
grommet complicates construction. Far
simpler is melting a hole to fit the line. A
heated metal rod or old soldering iron
wielded carefully will work nicely to do
this. But an adult should perform that job.
If you have a grommet setter, go ahead
and place a grommet as our sketch sug-
gests. But because plastic jugs are so
readily available, if the rope tears open
the bottom of the jug, it is easy to replace
the jug. And a torn jug shouldn't interfere
with the rescue underway at the time.
Order of construction:
1. Assemble materials and tools—a
ruler, sharp knife, quarter-inch drill bit
and drill, and quarter-inch diameter steel
rod or soldering iron should do it.
2. Make a quarter-inch hole in the
center of the jug bottom. Set a grommet if
desired.
3. Thread all the braided line except for
about 1 Vi feet at the end through the bot-
tom hole and let it pass through the jug
mouth.
4. Make a foot-long loop in the end of
the line that the victim will hold. You may
want to make a larger loop that is about
two feet long. This would enable a tired or
weak victim to place his body within the
loop. Tie an overhand knot using both
loop strands as if they were one rope.
5. Melt a quarter-inch hole in the plas-
tic jug cap. Or drill a hole.
6. Thread the end of the line the res-
cuer will hold through the hole from the
bottom of the cap. In the very end of the
line tie an overhand knot to keep the line
from dropping through the cap.
7. In the length of line just below the
cap fashion a loop about 10 inches long.
Holding the two strands of the loop
together as if they were one rope, tie the
loop with an overhand knot.
8. Now drop the long line back into the
jug including the rescuer's hand hold.
Cap the jug.
In throwing Lifeline '89, the rescuer
uncaps the jug, pulls out the hand hold
loop, and places the loop around the wrist
of his throwing hand. With that hand, he
grasps the jug handle and lets the jug fly
toward the victim.
As with all such throws, the lifesaver
should aim so that the jug will land within
easy reach of the victim. The rescuer or
rescuers then tow the victim to safety.
If needed for a better throw, just before
tossing to the victim, the rescuer could
immerse the uncapped neck of the jug in
water and let a pint or two pour into the
jug. However, in Scouting's test, the life-
line as constructed seemed to be nicely
weighted for throwing.
Aspiring Cub Scouts may earn credit
working on the lifeline in: Achievement 5
and Electives 3, 12, 16, and 18. For Bear
they may work on Achievements 10, 11,
12, 15, 20, and 22, and Elective 9.
Webelos Scouts may complete some
requirements for these activity badges:
Aquanaut, Craftsman, and Readyman.
Boy Scouts could get credit for Scout
spirit in Second through Life ranks, Star
and Life service projects, and Lifesaving
and Swimming merit badges. Mass pro-
duction and distribution of the lifelines
could even make a suitable Eagle project.
Potential rescuers may practice for
accuracy with Lifeline '89 by tossing
toward a make-believe victim in shallow
water or a human or other target on land.
A little imagination could develop some
exciting interden or interpatrol contests.
Those competitions could have practi-
cal application someday in a real-life
rescue. ■
s- HOLDING KNOT
1/2" THICK
VICTIM'S
WAIST
I I r; 'A .. ^
50' TO 70'
OF BRAIDED
NYLON ROPE
1/4" METAL
GR0MET
DETAIL OF
KNOT PREVENTS
LOOPED END
FROM BEING
LOST INSIDE
BOTTLE.
BOTTLE
CAP
RESCUER'S
WRIST LOOP
52
September 1990 rj? Scouting
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 78, Number 4, September 1990, periodical, September 1990; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353668/m1/64/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.