Rangers: Difference between revisions

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== Basic Department Description ==

* Security or Attendee Relations are the eyes and ears of the convention. They~~’re roaming help desk~~, information ~~while also monitoring for~~ and ~~limiting problems~~.

Attendee Relations/ Rangers are the eyes and ears of the convention.

They monitor the convention to limit and reduce potential problems, and provide information attendees may need, with dual goals of safety and enjoyment of all, in that order of preference.

* The most important skills for the job are a level head and the ability to keep calm in sometimes stressful situations. Also important are de-escalation skills and, as with any public facing position, patience.

* ~~What is your staff email? (These are the forward facing “job” emails that get posted to the public and forward emails to your personal VF email~~. ~~Your personal VF email is what you log in to and use to read and respond to emails~~.)

* The Rangers department can be contacted by emailing Rangers@Vancoufur.org or [email protected].

== Yearly Responsibilities ==

* ~~Security~~ department needs to understand and agree with the policies of the convention.

* Rangers department needs to understand and agree with the policies of the convention.

* ~~They need to be able to work with the systems in place at the convention.~~

* Attendee Relations has some equipment requirements, primarily radios - these need to be tested before the event for suitability, or have a contractual guarantee of same from the providers.

* Security has some equipment requirements ~~such as~~ radios - these need to be tested before the event.

* There is a security manual that dictates the responsibilities of the Rangers, our Radio protocols, and so on. It should be updated relatively soon after the completion of the convention as needed based on any feedback from prior years.

* There ~~are training sessions which are needed for~~ security ~~staff~~. ~~These will need to~~ be ~~coordinated and run for all security staff and optionally any other staff.~~

* The Rangers team should be trained by their Lead or a designated alternate (such as the Second) in groups and/or one on one to ensure they understand their duties and the content of the manual.

* At the ~~discretion~~ of the ~~security lead, a manual or guide needs to be printed for giving to all security staff~~.

* The Rangers are a sub-department of Operations, and will run out of the ops room (though their duties are primarily roaming about the convention).

* ~~Security requires~~ a ~~room to be available,~~ such as ~~a boardroom, for use during~~ the ~~convention. Security will schedule~~ the ~~use~~ of ~~this room for meetings with~~ the ~~party hosts or with anyone who has had their badge temporarily pulled~~.

* ~~Security~~ will run out of the ops-room ~~for most other cases~~.

~~=== Minimum security ===~~

* Social media is your friend - they can put out calls for more volunteers, and trust me, there's never enough.

* Ask your Rangers to follow the various Social Media accounts are share their content as appropriate - the nature of Social Media is that we're all on their team, too.

* Daytime - 2 pairs

=== Minimum at-convention scheduling ===

* Evening/night - 3 pairs

* Late night - 1 pair

* Daytime - 2 pairs (4 Rangers)

* Evening/night - 3 pairs (6 Rangers)

* Late night - 1 pair (2 Rangers)

* Total for all periods expecting 8 hours per day: 12 - peak on Friday and Saturday

* All staff for security will be trained; they may have other duties at the convention

* All staff for security will be trained; they may have other duties at the convention. (Especially since 24+ hours is a lot to expect over a weekend, we're very happy to accept assistance in the form of part time or Junior Rangers)

* Make a ~~note of which updates/prompts should be sent~~ to ~~Social Media. (Remember~~, ~~they can send out notices for more volunteers, due date reminders, opening dates, etc!~~)

== Your Department on the Website/in the Conbook ==

* ~~Do you need~~ a ~~website/conbook page/blurb for your department~~/~~event? What information do you need~~ on ~~this page/blurb? Do you need to provide a layout design?~~

* Rangers conbook listing is generally just a list of names/ credit roll. Make sure it has everyone on it in their appropriate roles, and doesn't credit anyone who hasn't been in contact.

* Make sure to have someone look over the information before sending it to the respective lead.

* Send it to the respective lead.

* Make sure to test the contact page (website) that the form sends an email to you.

* Make sure that your email is listed on the contact page (website) outside of the form.

* If you have any future updates, make sure to send them to the Web Lead!

* If you spot any mistakes in your blurb for the conbook, make sure to contact them ASAP about it!

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== 6 Months before con, what do you need to have done? ==

* ~~Add~~ in ~~items your~~ department ~~should~~ have ~~completed by~~ this time and ~~items~~ to ~~finish ASAP~~.

* The rangers manual edits should be done at this time, addressing the concerns from the previous year, and any changes in the responsibilities of the department.

* It's good to have a meet and greet style meeting around this time - people may not be certain what they've signed up for and want out, or they might have friends that they'd like to come Ranger with them. Additionally, there may be people on your volunteer listing that you find difficult or impossible to get a hold of, and planning this sort of meeting therefore gives you a better idea of who is active and likely to be actually available at the convention proper.

== 3 Months before con, what do you need to have done? ==

* Do you have enough volunteers?

* Do you have enough volunteers? If not, make sure the Social Media team knows, and that the other con volunteers know we'd be happy to have them for a day, etc.

* ~~Add~~ in ~~items your department should have completed by this time and items~~ to ~~finish ASAP~~.

* It's good for the Rangers to know first aid- it might be good to put together a training session open to all the volunteers, regardless of department, in order to decrease the individual cost.

* You should start building a schedule for your operations team. (Use the Master Schedule for the year! Programming lead sets this up every year and it houses our event schedule as well as the work/team schedules for at con departments.)

== 1 Month before con, what do you need to have done? ==

* ~~Send in your~~ BEO~~’s to Hotel Lead. (Banquet Event/Equipment Order. This is what the hotel needs to set up for your~~ room ~~if applicable. Tables~~, ~~chairs~~, ~~etc~~. ~~You also need a layout of how the room is to be put together with those items~~.)

* Rangers DO NOT need a BEO, as they don't have their own room space, though their parent department, Operations, should ensure that there is a suitable place for eg. Radio recharging.

* Make sure to contact Logistics to get any ~~equipment~~ from the VF storage locker to the hotel for your use.

* Make sure to contact Logistics to get equipment (if any) from the VF storage locker to the hotel for your use.

* ~~Make sure to contact IT to organize when your equipment~~ and ~~Tech needs can be setup in~~ your ~~department area~~.

* If there is insufficient supplies for the department (notebooks and pens for incident logging, primarily), replenish them. Keep your receipts.

* Send in any needed information to the Conbook for print.

* Send in any needed information to the Conbook for print. - Should just be the list of volunteers and their roles (who is Lead, who is/are the Second(s))

* ~~Add in anything else your department needs!~~

* By now most if not all of the Rangers volunteers should be trained, finish that up if not.

== After the Convention/Before the Firing Party ==

* Make sure all your volunteers (and yourself) got inputted into the system for their hours.

* Update your guide with any new/relevant information/changes.

* Read the logs from all of the Rangers and prepare a report of the issues the Rangers assisted with during the convention.

* Update this page with recommendations or reminders of things to do in following years.

* Update your guide with any new/relevant information/changes, and/or prepare a list of recommendations for your successor if stepping down. It's a six month out responsibility to finish this process, but no sense waiting if you know the needed changes anyhow.

* A staff feedback survey will be emailed out and sent into the staff chats. Please fill this out ASAP!

* Make any staffing suggestions to the next years’ chair. (If you want to work again, staff who excelled and where, etc.)

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== Break down of contacts ==

* ~~Who on staff do you need~~ to be in contact with ~~regularly for~~ your department ~~to function?~~

* In order for the Rangers to function, it's important to keep in contact with your parent Operations department.

* ~~Who is your executive contact?~~

* Additionally, as one of the larger departments, it's important for the Rangers Lead to attend the general meetings whenever possible, and follow up with Operations whenever not. (Specific directives for Rangers come up sporadically as a side effect

* Do you have contacts outside of ~~VF staff that you should be in contact~~ with?

== Department Inventory and Ordering Resources ==

* ~~list who you have ordered products from~~ (~~if any~~) and be ~~sure~~ to ~~list price/currency/quantity and if there was a representative you were in contact with~~, ~~please list their name~~.

* The Radios are rented each year, delivered by the company providing them (no logistics requirement)

* ~~what remaining inventory you have from this year.~~ (~~please also write in things you are unsure about! Just make sure it is clear that you are unsure~~)

* A small notebook and a pen should be provided for each Ranger. After the con these will be retrieved for reporting purposes. Some may be reusable, but it's only a small cost to get more, as well.

* List possible ordering alternatives for ~~future years if any~~.

* Loud whistles (as attention grabbing/ deterrence devices) - for hygiene, these should maybe be considered consumable and kept by Rangers as mementos.

* ~~General feedback/tips for future staff when ordering products (sizing~~, ~~how much~~ the ~~order vs how many expected attendees~~, ~~etc)~~

* Amazon is convenient, but the dollar store is a better price!

* If you're meeting in person, it's expensive unless someone can host. For meeting online Zoom is excellent, $15USD for a month is doable, for sure.

== Do's and Don'ts of the Department ==

* What worked well/Would suggest doing again?

Work closely with the other departments under Operations - Volunteers, Operations, Logistics - we all work together to put on the con and all these jobs need done.

* What didn't work/would suggest to avoid?

At-con volunteers are a poor choice to Ranger - they will either disappear with a radio and never check in, or just generically not be helpful? They are ideal candidates for badge check or on-call go-fer work, but if someone shows up and asks for a radio, I recommend you politely decline.

* What would you suggest to be done for the future years of your department that aren't already in motion?

More people who are Rangers AND part of another department would be nice - feels like we're very insular. 99% of the job is at-con, so people whose work is mostly before con would be glad additions to the team, even if only for one shift on one day.

== Other Resources ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Basic Department Description ==
-* Security or Attendee Relations are the eyes and ears of the convention. They&rsquo;re roaming help desk, information while also monitoring for and limiting problems.
+Attendee Relations/ Rangers are the eyes and ears of the convention.
+They monitor the convention to limit and reduce potential problems, and provide information attendees may need, with dual goals of safety and enjoyment of all, in that order of preference.
 * The most important skills for the job are a level head and the ability to keep calm in sometimes stressful situations. Also important are de-escalation skills and, as with any public facing position, patience.
-* What is your staff email? (These are the forward facing &ldquo;job&rdquo; emails that get posted to the public and forward emails to your personal VF email. Your personal VF email  is what you log in to and use to read and respond to emails.)
+* The Rangers department can be contacted by emailing Rangers@Vancoufur.org or [email protected].
 == Yearly Responsibilities ==
-* Security department needs to understand and agree with the policies of the convention.
+* Rangers department needs to understand and agree with the policies of the convention.
-* They need to be able to work with the systems in place at the convention.
+* Attendee Relations has some equipment requirements, primarily radios - these need to be tested before the event for suitability, or have a contractual guarantee of same from the providers.
-* Security has some equipment requirements such as radios - these need to be tested before the event.
+* There is a security manual that dictates the responsibilities of the Rangers, our Radio protocols, and so on. It should be updated relatively soon after the completion of the convention as needed based on any feedback from prior years.
-* There are training sessions which are needed for security staff. These will need to be coordinated and run for all security staff and optionally any other staff.
+* The Rangers team should be trained by their Lead or a designated alternate (such as the Second) in groups and/or one on one to ensure they understand their duties and the content of the manual.
-* At the discretion of the security lead, a manual or guide needs to be printed for giving to all security staff.
+* The Rangers are a sub-department of Operations, and will run out of the ops room (though their duties are primarily roaming about the convention).
-* Security requires a room to be available, such as a boardroom, for use during the convention. Security will schedule the use of this room for meetings with the party hosts or with anyone who has had their badge temporarily pulled.
-* Security will run out of the ops-room for most other cases.
-=== Minimum security ===
+* Social media is your friend - they can put out calls for more volunteers, and trust me, there's never enough.
+* Ask your Rangers to follow the various Social Media accounts are share their content as appropriate - the nature of Social Media is that we're all on their team, too.
-* Daytime - 2 pairs
+=== Minimum at-convention scheduling ===
-* Evening/night - 3 pairs
-* Late night - 1 pair
+* Daytime - 2 pairs (4 Rangers)
+* Evening/night - 3 pairs (6 Rangers)
+* Late night - 1 pair (2 Rangers)
 * Total for all periods expecting 8 hours per day: 12 - peak on Friday and Saturday
-* All staff for security will be trained; they may have other duties at the convention
+* All staff for security will be trained; they may have other duties at the convention. (Especially since 24+ hours is a lot to expect over a weekend, we're very happy to accept assistance in the form of part time or Junior Rangers)
-* Make a note of which updates/prompts should be sent to Social Media. (Remember, they can send out notices for more volunteers, due date reminders, opening dates, etc!)
 == Your Department on the Website/in the Conbook ==
-* Do you need a website/conbook page/blurb for your department/event? What information do you need on this page/blurb? Do you need to provide a layout design?
+* Rangers conbook listing is generally just a list of names/ credit roll. Make sure it has everyone on it in their appropriate roles, and doesn't credit anyone who hasn't been in contact.
 * Make sure to have someone look over the information before sending it to the respective lead.
 * Send it to the respective lead.
-* Make sure to test the contact page (website) that the form sends an email to you.
-* Make sure that your email is listed on the contact page (website) outside of the form.
 * If you have any future updates, make sure to send them to the Web Lead!
 * If you spot any mistakes in your blurb for the conbook, make sure to contact them ASAP about it!
@@ Line 37: / Line 38: @@
 == 6 Months before con, what do you need to have done? ==
-* Add in items your department should have completed by this time and items to finish ASAP.
+* The rangers manual edits should be done at this time, addressing the concerns from the previous year, and any changes in the responsibilities of the department.
+* It's good to have a meet and greet style meeting around this time - people may not be certain what they've signed up for and want out, or they might have friends that they'd like to come Ranger with them. Additionally, there may be people on your volunteer listing that you find difficult or impossible to get a hold of, and planning this sort of meeting therefore gives you a better idea of who is active and likely to be actually available at the convention proper.
 == 3 Months before con, what do you need to have done? ==
-* Do you have enough volunteers?
+* Do you have enough volunteers? If not, make sure the Social Media team knows, and that the other con volunteers know we'd be happy to have them for a day, etc.
-* Add in items your department should have completed by this time and items to finish ASAP.
+* It's good for the Rangers to know first aid- it might be good to put together a training session open to all the volunteers, regardless of department, in order to decrease the individual cost.
 * You should start building a schedule for your operations team. (Use the Master Schedule for the year! Programming lead sets this up every year and it houses our event schedule as well as the work/team schedules for at con departments.)
 == 1 Month before con, what do you need to have done? ==
-* Send in your BEO&rsquo;s to Hotel Lead. (Banquet Event/Equipment Order. This is what the hotel needs to set up for your room if applicable. Tables, chairs, etc. You also need a layout of how the room is to be put together with those items.)
+* Rangers DO NOT need a BEO, as they don't have their own room space, though their parent department, Operations, should ensure that there is a suitable place for eg. Radio recharging.
-* Make sure to contact Logistics to get any equipment from the VF storage locker to the hotel for your use.
+* Make sure to contact Logistics to get equipment (if any) from the VF storage locker to the hotel for your use.
-* Make sure to contact IT to organize when your equipment and Tech needs can be setup in your department area.
+* If there is insufficient supplies for the department (notebooks and pens for incident logging, primarily), replenish them. Keep your receipts.
-* Send in any needed information to the Conbook for print.
+* Send in any needed information to the Conbook for print. - Should just be the list of volunteers and their roles (who is Lead, who is/are the Second(s))
-* Add in anything else your department needs!
+* By now most if not all of the Rangers volunteers should be trained, finish that up if not.
 == After the Convention/Before the Firing Party ==
 * Make sure all your volunteers (and yourself) got inputted into the system for their hours.
-* Update your guide with any new/relevant information/changes.
+* Read the logs from all of the Rangers and prepare a report of the issues the Rangers assisted with during the convention.
+* Update this page with recommendations or reminders of things to do in following years.
+* Update your guide with any new/relevant information/changes, and/or prepare a list of recommendations for your successor if stepping down. It's a six month out responsibility to finish this process, but no sense waiting if you know the needed changes anyhow.
 * A staff feedback survey will be emailed out and sent into the staff chats. Please fill this out ASAP!
 * Make any staffing suggestions to the next years&rsquo; chair. (If you want to work again, staff who excelled and where, etc.)
@@ Line 63: / Line 67: @@
 == Break down of contacts ==
-* Who on staff do you need to be in contact with regularly for your department to function?
+* In order for the Rangers to function, it's important to keep in contact with your parent Operations department.
-* Who is your executive contact?
+* Additionally, as one of the larger departments, it's important for the Rangers Lead to attend the general meetings whenever possible, and follow up with Operations whenever not. (Specific directives for Rangers come up sporadically as a side effect
-* Do you have contacts outside of VF staff that you should be in contact with?
 == Department Inventory and Ordering Resources ==
-* list who you have ordered products from (if any) and be sure to list         price/currency/quantity and if there was a representative you were in contact with, please list their name.
+* The Radios are rented each year, delivered by the company providing them (no logistics requirement)
-* what remaining inventory you have from this year. (please also write in things you are unsure about! Just make sure it is clear that you are unsure)
+* A small notebook and a pen should be provided for each Ranger. After the con these will be retrieved for reporting purposes. Some may be reusable, but it's only a small cost to get more, as well.
-* List possible ordering alternatives for future years if any.
+* Loud whistles (as attention grabbing/ deterrence devices) - for hygiene, these should maybe be considered consumable and kept by Rangers as mementos.
-* General feedback/tips for future staff when ordering products (sizing, how much the order vs how many expected attendees, etc)
+* Amazon is convenient, but the dollar store is a better price!
+* If you're meeting in person, it's expensive unless someone can host. For meeting online Zoom is excellent, $15USD for a month is doable, for sure.
 == Do's and Don'ts of the Department ==
 * What worked well/Would suggest doing again?
+Work closely with the other departments under Operations - Volunteers, Operations, Logistics - we all work together to put on the con and all these jobs need done.
 * What didn&#39;t work/would suggest to avoid?
+At-con volunteers are a poor choice to Ranger - they will either disappear with a radio and never check in, or just generically not be helpful? They are ideal candidates for badge check or on-call go-fer work, but if someone shows up and asks for a radio, I recommend you politely decline.
 * What would you suggest to be done for the future years of your department that aren&#39;t already in motion?
+More people who are Rangers AND part of another department would be nice - feels like we're very insular. 99% of the job is at-con, so people whose work is mostly before con would be glad additions to the team, even if only for one shift on one day.
 == Other Resources ==