By now, you’ve probably heard the news about tornado that struck a Boy Scout camp last night, killing four teens and injuring 48 people.

Though the outcome is tragic and our hearts go out to all the families involved, the scouts truly lived up to their “Be Prepared” motto. Here are the quotes that impressed me:

• “Last night, the agencies and the scouts were prepared,” said Lloyd Roitstein, a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) executive. “They knew what to do, they knew where to go, and they prepared well.”
• Ethan Hession, 13, said the scouts’ first-aid training immediately compelled them to act. “We knew that we need to place tourniquets on wounds that were bleeding too much. We knew we need to apply pressure and gauze. We had first-aid kits, we had everything.”

The American Red Cross and the BSA have been collaborators in serving the community — and each other — since the earliest days of both organizations. From their start in 1910, Boy Scouts have depended on the Red Cross to provide the basis for their first aid training; and today, Boy Scouts can be found volunteering with the Red Cross during disaster relief operations nationwide.

Given that the BSA recommends Red Cross first aid, aquatic safety, and other training for leaders and scouts, it seems safe to say that these heroic scouts in Iowa were indeed Red Cross trained. If you want to find out more about what the Oregon Trail Chapter offers for local scouts, you can see all the classes right here.

(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)