Safety is about noticing risks and making smart choices before something goes wrong. You will check your own home, learn how to stay safe in public and online, and know what to do if someone tries to hurt you. These skills protect you and the people you care about.
Why it's worth it
Most injuries happen at home, on the road, or online, in places that feel safe. This badge trains you to spot hazards before they hurt someone, plan for emergencies, and know what to do if a person or a message seems wrong. You'll walk through your home with a checklist, make your accounts harder to hack, and learn when and how to get help. People who think ahead about safety become the calm ones in a crisis, and that's exactly who families, patrols, and workplaces need.
Start this week
- Check the smoke alarms in your home with a parent this week and agree on two ways out of every bedroom and a family meeting spot outside.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Safety counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Find or print a home safety checklist and set a time with a parent to walk through the house together for requirement 2.
- Review the passwords and privacy settings on one of your accounts with a parent.
Requirements · 9
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Safety and hazards
Tips for this section: Think of a hazard you face every day, like crossing a busy street, and talk about how you lower the risk.
Example for this section: Use biking to school as your example: the hazard is traffic, the risk is how likely and how bad a crash could be, and you manage it with a helmet, lights, a route with bike lanes, and riding with the flow of traffic.
- Requirement 1a
Explain what safety is and what being safe means
- Requirement 1b
Explain what hazards are and how people manage them to lower the risk of harm and stay safer
- Requirement 2
Family and home safety
Tips for this section: Walk through your home with a parent and use a checklist to look for fire and injury hazards, then fix what you can.
Example for this section: With a checklist and a parent, look for loose rugs on stairs, cords under rugs, overloaded outlets, unlocked medicines, and a missing fire extinguisher. Fix two things that day and make a plan for the rest.
- Requirement 2a
Explain common causes of injuries at home and how to prevent them
- Requirement 2b
Discuss the dangers of using fireworks
- Requirement 2c
Explain common causes of home fires and how to prevent them
- Requirement 2d
With an adult, look for hazards in your home (or a similar building) using the pamphlet's Home Safety Checklist or a counselor-approved one, then review your findings with your counselor
- Requirement 2e
Draw a fire-escape plan for your house (or a similar building) showing ways out of every room and an outside meeting spot. Hold a fire drill, then review the plan and drill with your counselor
- Requirement 2f
Make a family plan for evacuating during weather or other natural disasters common where you live. Assemble or check an emergency supply kit using the pamphlet's checklist or an approved one, and explain how your family would put the plan and kit to use
- Requirement 3
Safety from crime
Tips for this section: With a parent, check your doors, windows, and lights, and talk about how teens can avoid becoming crime victims.
- Requirement 3a
Explain the common kinds of crimes that can affect teens
- Requirement 3b
With an adult, check your home or a similar building's security against crime using the pamphlet's Home Security Checklist or a counselor-approved one, then review your findings with your counselor
- Requirement 4
Safety in public places
Tips for this section: Talk with your family about what to do if you get separated in a crowd or there's an emergency in a store or school.
Example for this section: Talk through scenarios with your family: getting separated at a stadium (go to a pre-set meeting spot or find a worker in uniform), a fire alarm at the mall (walk to the nearest exit, not the way you came in), or severe weather while out.
- Requirement 4a
Explain to your counselor how to get out of public buildings, a hotel, and a stadium safely in an emergency
- Requirement 4b
Explain to your counselor how and why Scouts take shelter at camp
- Requirement 4c
Explain to your counselor how Scouts should respond to an active shooter
- Requirement 4d
Explain to your counselor what the saying "If You See Something, Say Something" means
- Requirement 5
Safeguarding youth
Tips for this section: Go over the Safeguarding Youth guidelines with a parent and know who you'd tell if something felt wrong.
Example for this section: Explain the three R's of Safeguarding Youth: Recognize situations that could lead to abuse, Resist by saying no and getting away, and Report to a parent or another trusted adult right away. Name two adults you would tell.
- Requirement 5a
Discuss the Scouting America Safeguarding Youth guidelines that adults and Scouts follow to keep everyone safe in Scouting
- Requirement 5b
Discuss with your counselor which situations and behaviors would lead you to Recognize, Resist, and Report possible abuse
- Requirement 5c
Discuss how anyone, including you, other Scouts, and leaders, can report suspected abuse, such as by calling the Scouts First Helpline
- Requirement 6
Safety from assault
Tips for this section: Discuss ways to stay out of risky situations, like staying with friends and trusting your gut when something feels off.
- Requirement 6a
Explain how to avoid or prevent being assaulted on the street
- Requirement 6b
Explain how to avoid or prevent assault at a restaurant event
- Requirement 6c
Explain how to avoid or prevent sexual assault on a date or at a party
- Requirement 7
Online safety
Tips for this section: Review your passwords and privacy settings with a parent, and learn the warning signs of a scam message.
Example for this section: Bring two real scam examples, like a text claiming you won a prize or a message from "your bank" asking for a password. Point out the warning signs, then show how you'd turn on two-factor login and spot a fake link.
- Requirement 7a
Discuss with your counselor how to avoid becoming a victim of online crime
- Requirement 7b
Discuss with your counselor common online money scams
- Requirement 7c
Discuss with your counselor what good online security looks like
- Requirement 7d
Discuss with your counselor what identity theft is and how to prevent it
- Requirement 7e
Discuss with your counselor how criminals use social media to target people
- Requirement 7f
Discuss with your counselor how bullying, texting, and sharing photos can turn into crimes
- Requirement 8
Travel safety
Tips for this section: Before your next trip, help your family plan: share where you're going, buckle up, and pack a small emergency kit.
- Requirement 8a
Explain how to travel safely on foot in a city
- Requirement 8b
Explain how to travel safely in a friend's car or truck
- Requirement 8c
Explain how to travel safely in a rideshare vehicle
- Requirement 8d
Explain how to travel safely on a bus
- Requirement 8e
Explain how to travel safely on a subway or train
- Requirement 8f
Explain how to travel safely on a commercial airplane
- Requirement 9
Careers and hobbies. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Ask a firefighter, police officer, or safety manager what they do each day to keep people safe.
- Requirement 9a
Research one safety-related career (training, education, costs, job outlook, pay, duties, advancement), with a parent's OK for online searches, interviews, or visits, and discuss your findings and its appeal with your counselor
- Requirement 9b
Research how safety skills could support a hobby, lifestyle, or volunteer service, including training, costs, and supporting groups, then discuss your short- and long-term goals with your counselor
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A fire station
Firefighters can show you their gear and explain how most home fires start and how to prevent them.
How: A leader can call the station's non-emergency number and ask for a tour for your patrol or troop. Calls may interrupt the visit.
A police department community program
Officers can explain how teens can avoid becoming victims of crime and how to report something that seems wrong.
How: A leader can call the community outreach office and ask about a talk or tour for a youth group.
Where it can lead
- FirefighterResponds to fires and medical calls and teaches fire prevention; many start as volunteers.
- Police officerProtects the public and works with communities to prevent crime.
- Occupational safety specialistInspects workplaces and trains workers to prevent injuries.
- Emergency medical technicianGives first care at accidents and emergencies; training can start right after high school.
- Emergency managerPlans how a city or county responds to disasters.
Ask yourself
- Which hazard in your home or daily routine had you never noticed before?
- Who are the trusted adults you would go to if something felt wrong?
- How would you handle a scam or uncomfortable message online now?
- What safety habit did your family change because of this badge?
- When have you stayed calm in an emergency, and what helped you?
Good questions to ask a firefighter, police officer, or safety professional
- What's the most common preventable injury you see in homes like mine?
- What should teens know about staying safe in public that adults often forget to say?
- What online scams are targeting young people right now?
- How do you stay calm and think clearly in an emergency?
- What does your job look like on a normal day?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Invite a local police or fire officer to talk with the troop about home and personal safety.
- Remind families that the home checks are a great chance for a parent and scout to work together.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- National Safety Council (opens in a new tab) — Safety tips for home, road, and work.
- Local police or fire department — Many offer home safety checks and talks.
- Scouting America (opens in a new tab) — Safeguarding Youth information for families.
- Scouting America Safeguarding Youth (opens in a new tab) — How Scouting keeps youth safe and how to report a concern.
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (opens in a new tab) — Where young people and adults can call or text for help with abuse, any time.
- U.S. Fire Administration (opens in a new tab) — Home fire prevention and escape planning tips.
- IdentityTheft.gov (opens in a new tab) — How identity theft happens and what to do if it happens to your family.
- Ready.gov Kids (opens in a new tab) — Emergency planning games and checklists for young people.
Pairs well with
Into this? Explore more
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.