Pioneer (Scout)

Badge Requirements

• Understand the main characteristics of various types and sizes of man-made and natural fibre rope useful in pioneering. Show how to coil and care for them and how to assess strength and condition.
  
  

• Be able to ensure safety. Understand the possible dangers from negligent leadership, from indiscipline, from misuse or overloading of gear, and from incorrect rope work, including knots and lashings. Understand the special danger from the recoil or fracture of man-made fibre rope.
  
  

• Understand and demonstrate in use, pioneering anchors suited to a variety of project, location and soil; to include loose or marshy ground.
  
  

• Demonstrate mastery of all the knots, lashings, splices, whippings and machines.
  
  Note: A range of possible gear should be on hand from which the Scout may freely select what he needs and other people may act as assistants to hold or pull things.
  
  

• Play an efficient part, other than that of leader, in the construction by a Patrol of one project selected from a small batch of drawings or models presented by the Unit Leader.
  
  

• Efficiently lead a Patrol to construct successively one further project chosen by him from the Unit Leader's batch, taking all prudent safety measures.
  
  

• Efficiently lead a Patrol to construct a successful pioneering project of his own unaided design. The design, shown by drawings and a scale model, and the scheme of work, to include detail of all necessary gear and an estimate of the time involved, are to be discussed with and agreed by the Examiner beforehand.
  
  Note: The Scout has a free choice as to the type of project or problem but the Unit Leader will suggest possibilities on request. Though it may have many aspects in common with previous or published projects, the Scout must demonstrate sufficient originality to prove competent pursuit of the activity as opposed to mere repetition of another's work. The projects constructed must be of different type, i.e. rafts, towers, masts, bridges, cranes etc - and on a sufficient scale to make the skilled application of pioneering techniques essential.