What should be discussed at the Workers' Meeting?

[Anders Green]

"Anyone have a Workers' Meeting Outline?"
I asked this question in the organizer's forum, and the answer was apparently "no", so I wondered if perhaps the workers were squirelling away these outlines and keeping them for themselves!! ;)

What topics are covered in the Worker Meeting? Surely there are some tricky things that are usually forgotten. Or are there items you *wish* were in that discussion? Does anyone have an outline of speaking points? What length of time do you schedule? (Some Supps I've only list the _start_ time of the worker's meeting, not the duration. Some don't list the meeting at all...)

Thanks guys! :D
Anders

[MDBodnar]

I ran out of time - more later...

You have uncovered a major weak point of most if not all worker meetings:

LACK OF AGENDA

I hate all the worker meeting I have been to including my own becuase they are typically unscripted and people like to hear themselves talk.

Let's brain storm an agenda here, but first let's cover some other basics.

Registration
1) make it as quick and painless as possible
2) give enough info so that I can read (but won't) everything I need to know for my assignment
3) tell me/give me
a) When I am working
b) where I need to be to meet my "leader" - for both days
c) Where I am working - provide a phone number and radio info in case of emergency
d) map to where I need to meet my leader
e) map of the stage I will be working and the area
f) let me know if I need to bring food with me

4) explain that I can talk to almost anyone official looking to get answers, feed back is wonderful - give a form and a place to turn it in mail it in

How many meeting do you need? Do you need any? How many people can you divide the task among...

My feeling is that you should leave registration with everything you need to know for the weekend and this should take 3 minutes - that is to say when I leave registration I know where I'll be going to learn everything else I need to know!


Stage Captains Meeting/Stage Layout Meeting:
1) Safety Safety Saftey
2) Explain the best way to set up a stage - start with lining your workers up in the order that they will be dropped off on stage (meaning if you are dropping the start off first they are directly behind the layour car).
3) timing Equipment
4) List of all equipment


Controls Meeting:
1) Safety Safety Safety
2) Never start cars until Net Control has said its OK
3)

Radio Meeting:
1)
2)
3)

Marshals meeting:
1) Safety Safety Safety - is priority number 1 (even over timing)
2) Marshals are to help control traffic, your car makes a good road block but not in a dangerous area (from stage or civilian traffic)

EMT meeting:
1) What to expect
2) Safety Safety Safety

[Anders Green]

Mike said
>You have uncovered a major weak point of most if not all
>worker meetings:
>
>LACK OF AGENDA

Ah ha! :D Well, ok, let's make one.

>Registration
>3) tell me/give me
> a) When I am working
> b) where I need to be to meet my "leader" - for both days
> c) Where I am working - provide a phone number and radio info in case of emergency
> d) map to where I need to meet my leader
> e) map of the stage I will be working and the area
> f) let me know if I need to bring food with me

Now, I suppose this will vary based on how reliable the worker base is for any particular rally. I had imagined that everyone would sign up during the day, with a "come to the worker meeting tonight" message. Once everyone was there, before the meeting the Chief of Controls would look at the list of who he actually has, and then divvy up all the workers onto teams. Under this method, A through E would not be avialable until the meeting. However, it seems that with a rally with a lot more "repeat business" from the workers could know A-E before registration.

Of course, this will also likely be different based on the size of the rally.

>Stage Captains Meeting/Stage Layout Meeting:
>1) Safety Safety Saftey
>2) Explain the best way to set up a stage - start with lining
>your workers up in the order that they will be dropped off on
>stage (meaning if you are dropping the start off first they
>are directly behind the layour car).

Include diagrams of the proper methods of bannering an intersectin.

>3) timing Equipment
How to sync. Extra syncing cable?

>4) List of all equipment

This is the equipment list I'm starting with:
http://sandblastrally.com/2006/training/Stage-Captain-Inventory.pdf

>Radio Meeting:
>1)
>2)
>3)

How about a list of assigned tactical call signs? "Sweep", "Net Control", etcetera.


>EMT meeting:
>1) What to expect
Under "what to expect", how about a quick discussion of what the competitors will do if they encounter an accident. Also a discussion of the communication protocol (how the EMTs will be notified of the trouble). Will that be via the assigned Ham, or by direct contact? This info will obviously be defined in the safety plan, which I'm sure most of the EMTs will not have studied.

Great start Mike!

Cheers,
Anders

[Anders Green]

Here's what I'll be using:

http://SandblastRally.com/2006/training/Worker-Meeting-Outline.pdf

Comments?

Cheers,
Anders

[Bama40]

Here are some mental notes I've made over the past couple years of serving as a rally worker. They are not from any event in particular and several items have been corrected since. Also note that most came from when we were just starting out and didn't really have a clue beyond the very basics.

Maps - not a problems for locals, but since we're never the 'local' and it takes several visits to build up such knowlege, maps are a must for workers. Not just maps for the stage you're working, but the other stages also and how to get between them. Same for functions such as tech location, service location, etc. This has largely been solved by better Rally Guides that include these maps. However I have been asked by folks that show up at a Stage Marshal position - how to get from there to the Spectator area without crossing the Rally course. I had no idea because I was not familiar with the area or roads surrounding the event site.

More telephone numbers posted. Some times I never got any phone numbers or maybe only the Stage Captains. Maybe a small event directory needs to be included so if the Stage Captain isn't reachable, then someone else could be contacted. Especially local emergency numbers (ambulance, police, forestery service, etc.).

More training on the signs and time cards. (excellent information provided at SH/SB this time Anders) Don't know why a fairly simple and short video can't be made of a actual car proceeding thru a start/finish control (and service controls) that could be played at the workers meetings.

Bad Events FAQ - Make a listing of all the 'bad' things that have (or could) happen at any particular workers station, and provide the 'official' response. Most workers meetings only cover the 'this is how it's supposed to happen', leaving the workers unprepared for the 'this is NOT how it's supposed to happen'.

Questions like -

"what do I do if...
...a spectator absolutely refuses to listen

...someone gets excessively irrate (like folks showing up with guns as has happened)

...a competitors needs help, what kind of help can I give (or not give in certian locations)

...spectators run out to help push a car out of the ditch (as often seen on European videos)

...the timer dies

...the radio dies

...you have no cell phone service

...there is a bad accident at your marshall location

...I get lost from my work group

and any number of possible complaints by drivers/co-drivers (get info also from drivers/co-s on problems they have seen with workers)

-----------

Not looking for a all inclusive listing, but more a listing of actual problems that workers have encountered and how they SHOULD be dealt with.

p.s. please don't resond to this posting with 'answers' to the items above, these are only some examples, I know most of the answers.........now

[Anders Green]

Some good ideas there! I'll be thinking about those and making some additions. :)

Thanks!

Anders

[Paul Jaeger]

One little tip for working finish controls. I am usually the stage captain and usually stand outside the timing car and pass the scorecards to the clock operator. (Being outside the car puts me in position to see most things and be accessible to the finish radio). Anyway, since I am the first to see the scorecard, I try to keep track of the sequence numbers and make sure there are no missing numbers. Invariably, I forget what the next sequence number should be and have to bother the control log writer to find out the info. Occasionally when really busy, we would miss knowing a sequence number was out of order. At Snodrift, I decided to be the one putting the new sequence number on the timecard. This way I was forced to look at the incoming scorecard and by looking at the next sequence number to give out, I could keeo track of the sequence numbers easily.

This worked great, when a sequence number was out of order I knew immediately and could ask about missing cars while the timer and log writer were busy putting times on the scorecard.

Only one problem arose, once I absent mindedly handed the scorecard directly back to the codriver rather than to the scorecard writers to mark the time. The instant the codriver got the card he slammed the door shut and the driver dropped the clutch and they left the finish before I could get them to stop. I guess that codriver doesn't check his intime! Anyway, we radioed the next start control the correct time to put on his card when he arrived.

Paul Jaeger KC8YRY
PRIMO Stage Crews
For a Good Time, Call PRIMO!