Drone training prepares scouts for rescue missions

Stacy Shi

Scouts will be trained to use drones and various rescue skills, including land and water searches, rope rescue and incident command skills, so they can help in search and rescue missions in future, said new chief commissioner Wilson Lai Wai-sang.

Lai said the Scout Association of Hong Kong will set up a Scout Special Response Team to promote scout members' participation and assistance in emergency rescue work.

The team is expected to serve in the first quarter of next year at the earliest, he said, but only adult scouts will participate in rescue and search missions.

"Trained scouts will be able to use drones to conduct searches in mountainous areas, assess the situation of an affected area during a natural disaster, as well as transport the necessary supplies into areas where transportation has been disrupted to assist rescue units," Lai said.

He also hoped the rescue team members could cooperate with the Security Bureau in rescue operations with commanding abilities, as several citizens got injured during typhoons and black rain in recent months.

In terms of youth participation, Lai said they would organize a youth affairs consultative committee to allow young members to propose ideas on the association's youth-related policies.

Meanwhile, Lai said broadening young people's horizons and promoting exchanges with the international community and the mainland are key to youth development, and the association had encouraged scouts to participate in overseas scout jamborees and international scout youth forums.

"Hong Kong scouts had demonstrated their uniqueness and applied what they had learnt during the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea," Lai said.

Exchange activities have also been held in mainland cities, including Beijing and Sichuan Province. Arrangements will also be made for members to work as docents at the Hong Kong Palace Museum.

Lai said the association would organize more exchange activities, such as the 1.5-month Beijing Internship Program, which took place in June and July and allowed participants to undertake internships in mainland enterprises.

"Instead of teaching them about the country's development, I hope young people can experience it personally," he said.

In addition, the association will continue to be a partner of the Strive and Rise Program, where 110 scout leaders have been nominated to serve as mentors to help young people to develop a positive outlook on life.

The largest uniformed youth group in Hong Kong had more than 100,000 members before the pandemic, but only some 80,000 remained in 2022.

Lai believed that with the resumption of outdoor activities, the number of members will rise.