Penn Hills Man Earns Scouting Honor

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Dan Fitzhenry of Penn Hills aided at Ground Zero, and he credits his experience with Boy Scouts as the reason for his preparedness.

Fitzhenry is a member of a special On-Call Federal “Immediate Go”-Disaster Team for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. He helped provide medical assistance to 6,000 emergency workers at Ground Zero.

A Boy Scout since age 11, Fitzhenry, now 55, still is involved with the Scouts. An Eagle Scout, he's been an adult advisor, a Merit Badge Counselor, a troop committee member, an assistant Scoutmaster, a Den Leader and he currently is the Health and Safety Committee Chair for the Tecumsa District of the Greater Pittsburgh Council—it includes troops in Plum, Oakmont and Verona.

Ground Zero—albeit in the middle of a large city—required medical units to work in tents placed at strategic locations. In addition to tents, heavy duty shoes and clothing had to be worn. Necessary items for 14- and 12-hour shifts also had to be packed into small backpacks.

Fitzhenry said backpacking skills and outdoor living skills from the Scouting programs provided him with the needed knowledge to function well at the site. 

Fitzhenry also has been on site after natural disasters such as the earthquake in Port Au Prince in Haiti, and hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, Gustav and Ike.

"With this team, I'm going to places that are destroyed," he said. "We're living in tents, setting up generators and more. I don't even think twice about what we do. People ask me where I got all this outdoor experience, and I say it's because of the Boy Scouts.

"When I was young, a lot of men took the time to teach me. It's my turn to give back."

That's why Fitzhenry was awarded the Silver Beaver Award this year. The award went to John Hackett of Verona last year—he is the Scout Master for Troop 139.

The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council.

According to the Boy Scouts of America website, the Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service.

"For me, the award was out of the blue," Fitzhenry said. "I don't strive to get awards, but it's nice because it's an affirmation that I'm doing OK."

Fitzhenry said he always has loved being involved with the Boy Scouts. Despite one's age, he said, there's always something to do in the Scouts.

"You get exposure to things prior to anyone else," he said. "We work with leaders and have to learn to work as a team. I'm surprised at how many kids never experienced that.

"Scouts have to know how to pack and cook. Some people going to college don't even know how to boil water."

Fitzhenry's two sons also followed in their father's footsteps and became Scouts for some time. He said it was nice to have that in common with his boys.

As a kid, Fitzhenry traveled to National Scout Jamborees, a gathering of Scouts from all over the nation that is held every four years. He spent his 16th birthday in Japan during a jamboree. However, because of a typhoon, his troop took shelter in an unused wing of a Japanese mental institution.

Neil Armstrong also was there.

"When I went to study at the University of Pittsburgh, I had to write an English paper about my most memorable experience," Fitzhenry said. "Mine was how my spent my birthday at a Japanese mental institution with the first man to walk on the moon. People didn't believe me."

Fitzhenry said the skills he's earned throughout his experiences as a Scout have been priceless. He said he earned a lot of respect from people and prospective employers because of his Eagle Scout rank.

"It's not just about camping and learning how to tie a knot," he said. "Scouting gives you dimension. You get experience, learn about leadership, self reliance and you know how to handle emergencies. That's worth a lot."