Florida Boy Scout Leader Reportedly Burned During Flag Ceremony
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Florida Boy Scout master reportedly gave his troop a first-hand safety lesson on Wednesday when he attempted to re-ignite a fire and ended up engulfed in flames.
Tom Birch, scoutmaster of Boy Scout troop 243, was participating in a flag retirement ceremony at Freedom Park in Naples on Wednesday when he reached a too far to restart a fire to dispose of the flags, NaplesNews.com reports.
Reached at home on Thursday, Birch said he expects a speedy recovery from the first- and- second-degree burns on his arm. He characterized the experience as an important lesson for the boys in the troop, who watched in surprise as he stopped, dropped and rolled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think that it was important for them to see that accelerants can cause an injury and you have to be careful and I wasn’t, so I made a mistake,” Birch told the website. "I think the important thing is not to panic and to do what we’re taught — stop, drop and roll and put the fire out."
Naples Fire Department Battalion Chief Pete DiMaria said Birch leaned toward the barrel after the fire didn’t react to additional kerosene.