This story happened a few years ago and I decided to share it because frankly I had forgotten about it until I got an invite in the mail this morning for my son for Scouts involving a water safety training activity.

My story starts with our Bishop Jackwagon, a typical small minded authoritarian TBM leader. 'Nuff said.

It was "Scout" sunday and he was waxing about his days as an eagle scout and bla, bla.

Finally come the *epic* moment.

Tearfully, he shared with us a story about how he and his companion, Elder whatisname were travelling down a road near a river and it had been raining exceedingly hard, etc (The word exceedingly was used repeatedly) and they got caught in a flash flood.

Thank's to Jackwagon's Life Scout Water Safety Training, he was able to take off his pants, blow them up with his mouth, and provide a floatation device that saved both him and his companion's lives.

ROFLMAO. I kid you not, he really said this!!!

He then went on to praise the scouting program and bla bla bla.

I guess this is right up there with other morg whoppers.

*steel bows* *snort*

Hahaha -
Were they his "magic pants"????

Actually, in drown proofing training for boy scouts, you learn how to take your pants off, tie the legs together at the ankles, and then arc them over your head to capture air. They then can be used as a floatation device. Must be refilled every few minutes, but it actually works. NO ONE would blow them up with their mouth. Can't be done.

I always wanted to do the cross chest carry with the few girls in the life saving class. Damn, they paired by gender. Boring!!

Thank you for this information. It may save a life!

Haha, I remember doing this in a swimming pool for scouts! I was wearing MC hammer pants, cause they'd make it way easier.

That is a method to prevent drowning. Anyone who tests for swimming certifications (I'm not referring to Boy Scouts as I am a woman who went through this training as a swimmer) has to swim a several laps in wet clothing, then remove said clothing and blow up to use as a floating device. You have to tie the legs or arms into knots, then blow up like a balloon.

Sorry to burst your flotation device, Lost. :P



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2012 01:25PM by Itzpapalotl.

I did it myself as part of my lifeguard/WSI training.

She was about 19 years old and I was 14. She taught us that when someone is drowning they will be squirming all over the place so you had to approach them from behind and put your arm right across the chest and hold on tight. We all had to pass this part of the test and I got matched up with her.

Ah, the mammories.

Believe me, this bishop had enough hot air to get the job done.

My son learned that in his junior lifeguard class.

I ditto the comments from Crathes that indeed you are taught to do that in Boy Scouts.

I will also say that I get to go offshore and work on oil platforms some times, and my company and all of the oil companies REQUIRE that you have been certified in water survival training BEFORE they let you go out. I remember having to be dropped into a pool upside down, strapped inside of a helicopter mock up, and then having to get my self out and then get my coveralls off and make the flotation device with them. And of course not drown in the process.

Maybe we all should do the basic research before making a comment?

Did you blow your coveralls up with your mouth?

Joe Smith used his pants as a life saving devices as well if he hadn't taken them off and porked 14 year olds the angel would have killed him.....

;-)

Though as a grrrl, I did not learn this in the Boy Scouts, but rather Life Guard training. :) If I recall (I was 9 at the time), you had to create the flotation device and then use it for 15 minutes or something like that.

However, I'm not sure how well such a maneuver would work in a flash flood. Far more dangerous than a pool. If you don't drown outright, you can get mashed up in the debris. Scary.

Don't you remember when you went into the jacuzzi and the air bubbles from the jets would fill your swimsuit with air and it made you float ?

It works.

a while back there was a story about a Navy sailor who feel off of a ship & was rescued a couple of days later due to using this technique.

If it works, it works.

the human body is near bouyancy, it just takes a pound or two of flotation to make it work.

I'm going to call bull shit as well. I learned the pants trick in scouts as well. It worked o.k. in the pool, but I'd hate to have nothing else to depend on in a real life threatening situation. I also doubt I'd have the strength to get by on nothing but pants for more than a few hours, even in calm waters.

It wasn't easy getting the pants off and tying knots in the legs. Huge pain in the ass.

Floating isn't something you do when being swept into a river by a flash flood. I find it extremely unlikely that the bishops story is based in reality. especially if he asserts that one pair of pants saved two people.

I did this once when caught in a flash flood. However I was wearing those trendy jeans with all the pre-worn strips and cuts in the knee and along the thigh area. That's why I'm posting this from the afterlife.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2012 08:42AM by Soft Machine.

THIS is the most ridiculous MORmON story ever !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmhjgaB2Hi8

I was taught the inflated pants technique in Navy basic training. Never heard of it being used anywhere except the basic training swimming pool.

Limited application in submarines.

We had to learn drown-proofing in High School 3 ways: treading water, "pants", and drown-proofing, where you float motionless for as long as you can face down, then breathe & tread water briefly, then float again (we had to do this for something like an hour--at night). This was in a calm pool; I doubt flash-flood conditions would give much time for the pants method. Our instructor was a former Navy SEAL, so he knew what he was doing.

Chicken'n'backpacks Wrote:
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> This was in a calm pool; I doubt flash-flood conditions would give much time for the pants method.

I agree. Inflating pants would most likely work best in a lake or in the ocean. It might work in a relatively calm river. I doubt it would work under flash flood conditions.

Survival swimming (a.k.a. the "jellyfish float," where you put your face in the water with your arms hanging loosely downward toward your feet, and coming up periodically for air) is your best bet for making it through an extended stay in the water. Unfortunately hypothermia comes into play as well. Many spring and fall boaters fail to take hypothermia sufficiently into account as a potential threat.