Queen Anne resident Alexander Beaumont was awarded the 2012 “Youth Service in Action” Hero Award by The American Red Cross of King County.
The award was given to Beaumont at the annual Heroes Breakfast held by the Red Cross on March 27.
Beaumont was recognized for his work in helping to develop a disaster preparedness system for the Queen Anne neighborhood.
What began as a straightforward Eagle Scout project for Beaumont of Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, turned into a passion to better prepare his community for disasters.
According to the Red Cross, Beaumont’s journey started a couple of years ago during a float trip when he and his dad, Brian Beaumont, brainstormed potential Eagle Scout projects with Frank Gaul, chair of the emergency preparedness committee of the Magnolia-Interbay-Queen Anne District Council.
Gaul needed volunteers to help run emergency radio communications in Queen Anne in the event of a disaster. Mobile and landline phones, the Internet and other traditional communication devices can become disrupted during an emergency making it hard to convey critical information to first responders.
Beaumont jumped in to help and brought along his fellow scouts from Troop 72.
He created an instructional video, with the help of a fellow Eagle Scout candidate, and helped get the entire troop trained in emergency communications to help transmit messages via ham radio. He also worked with the Seattle Office of Emergency Management in four citywide drills to practice emergency communications in simulated disaster scenarios.
To ensure his neighbors knew about the emergency communications system, Beaumont organized booths at community events, such as the Queen Anne Farmers Market.
Once Beaumont’s Eagle Scout project was completed, he decided to stay involved. Most recently he created a Facebook page that helps Magnolia, Interbay and Queen Anne residents understand their neighborhood disaster plans and how to access emergency communications. He’s also inspired other scouts to get involved in disaster preparedness.
Beaumont is a senior at Nathan Hale High School and plans to study business and marketing at San Diego State University next year. But he said he intends to stay involved with the preparedness program when he comes home on breaks. He also expects other Troop 72 members to fill in for him while he’s gone.
“[Alexander] signed up to be the first responder for the first responders,” said his father, Brian Beaumont. “And he’s blazing a trail for others to follow.”
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