Seneca East Local Schools has a lot to celebrate recently as one of its own, and one of Black Swamp Area Council’s Eagle Scouts is being hailed a “hero”! | Drew Steinmetz used his keen sense and helped save a local home in the community recently while on his way home from school. Drew and his younger sister, Ava, observed an apparent house fire, at which time Drew’s quick thinking and training kicked in action. He took the proper first steps and called 9-1-1 to alert authorities and then the 18-year-old used his training to help address the emergency. | It was reported that Drew, who is an inspiring first-responder, used skills he learned from his father James, who is also a firefighter, located a garden hose and quickly began spraying down a woodpile. The fire appeared to be coming from a small woodshed on the side of the 100-year-old home. |
| What was your favorite memory from Scouting? | During his first summer camp at Camp Berry. Drew decided to climb the tower, even though he was afraid of heights. “I ended up reaching the top of the tower and I felt really happy I conquered this tower.”
-Drew |
| “Without Drew’s quick thinking, the fire department reported the house most likely would have caught on fire and been a complete loss,” according to Seneca East’s social media reports. | The school went on to publicly thank Drew for his bravery and shared, “You are a phenomenal representation of Seneca East.” | Black Swamp Area Council Scouters also echo this feeling about Drew, who is a great example of what Scouts can do in a time of need. |
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| | | Additionally, Drew and his sister recognized two dogs in kennels located next to the home. The animals were rescued and moved to safety once firefighters and the homeowner arrived on the scene. | Drew, a member of Troop 442 in Republic, reported knowing the small garden hose would not contain the fire, but he knew it could help reduce the risk of the fire spreading until firefighters arrived. |
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Drew has been in Scouting since he was a third grade Bear in Cub Scouts. He remembers being in third grade and having Scouts from Troop 442 come in and pass out fliers during lunch, while sharing with the students what it was like to be a Scout. |
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| He made a total of 300 bags containing fidget spinners and other toys like a stress ball, a coloring book and crayons, and a small teddy bear. | “These bags will be used to give to kids at the scene of a fire or accident and will help calm them down and trust the people on scene,” he said. |
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He went home that night and told his dad he wanted to join Scouting. It was then that he learned his dad had been in Scouting growing up and had even earned his Eagle, and what it meant to earn it. This started Drew on his journey through Scouting, where he himself earned his Eagle in December of 2020. | His Eagle project was making trauma kits for children involved in traumatic incidents, such as fires or accidents. | Drews idea of the project came about as he is training to become an EMT and wanted to help kids involved in traumatic incidents. |
| What advise can you give younger Scouts ? | Finish the required merit badges for Eagle Scout and then explore the other ones and have fun trying things out.
-Drew |
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