Parade Guides at Barricades
Beginning with the 2023 Rose Festival, Portland NET and the Portland Rose Festival are working together to keep Portland's most prominent celebration safe by recruiting volunteers as Parade Guides. Parade Guides monitor vehicular traffic at barricades and serve as a general information source for paradegoers. This is a planned event deployment NET/PBEM reserves exclusively for the Rose Festival; NET does not deploy for Parade Guide responsibilities for any other event.
This article serves as a general job aid and volunteer position description for volunteers (both NET and non-NET) serving as Parade Guides.
Background
Volunteer Guides deploy to each of the Rose Festival's parades: the Starlight Parade, the Junior Parade, and the Grand Floral Parade. Each Parade Guide will receive via email an Operations Plan that will include relevant contact information, check-in locations, radio frequencies, and other details specific to each event. Event-specific information is NOT included in this article; if a Parade Guide has not received their Operations Plan three days before the event, they should email net@portlandoregon.gov to request it.
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Mission
Volunteer Guides help keep Portland Rose Festival events safe and fun by actively managing street closure barricades. Volunteers will help act as the "eyes and ears" around the parade route and work with our on-site safety team to report any incidents. Responsibilities include:
- Ensure the safety of parade participants and guests by actively managing street closure barricades
- Greet people and welcome them to the parade
- Assist parade participants through entry & exit areas
- Report incidents to the safety team on site
- Guide community members in wayfinding around the parade area
We encourage NET volunteers to treat this as a tactical radio comms exercise as well, and to bring an FRS/GMRS radio. Radio frequencies will be included in the event operations plan.
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Parade Guide Command Post
Each parade will include at least one Command Post to coordinate volunteers and their radio communications. The location of a Command Post will be included in the Operations Plan. Parade Guides should plan an in-person check in at the Command Post where they will receive their assignment, any parade materials they may need, and to check they have everything they need (including answers to questions).
Roles at a Command Post will include:
- Parade Guide Lead: This person (a PBEM staffer) effectively serves as the Incident Commander for Parade Guides. They will have an 800 MHz to communicate with the Portland ECC.
- Check-in/Check-out: Specializes in checking in the Parade Guides when they arrive at the post and giving them their assignment. When a Parade Guide checks out, the person(s) in this role can accept the check-out either in person or by radio.
- Tactical Radio Lead: Monitors the FRS frequency Parade Guides are speaking on and moves the frequency if necessary.
- Runners: Volunteer who can run critical messages to a barricade if the Parade Guide at a location is not available by cell phone or radio. Runners will also take over for Parade Guides who need to leave post to use the restroom.
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Parade Guide Equipment
Required Equipment
The following items are REQUIRED so that Parade Guides can complete their volunteer shifts safely and effectively.
- Your personal cell phone: Your cell phone is your communications lifeline and you will use it to call 911 if needed. The Parade Guide Command Post should have your cell phone number so they can call you from the post.
- Weather-appropriate and proper attire:
- Barricade positions are unsheltered and directly in the weather! Please be sure to stay informed of the weather forecast for the day of your posting and dress appropriately.
- NET volunteers should wear their reflective NET vest and NET ID. Hard hats and full response kits are not required.
- Besides NET logos or approved CERT logos, no shirts, sweat shirts, jackets, or caps with any law enforcement, fire, medical, or emergency preparedness organizations.
- Footwear should be closed-toe; preferably comfortable and watertight sneakers you can stand in for long periods of time. Trail runners or hiking boots are most recommended. If your footwear is new, we suggest having it fully broken in before parade day.
- Personal water supply: Please bring enough water to keep yourself hydrated **[JVK NOTE: include hydration calculations here]*** ***[JVK: will we have water at the command post provided by Rose Festival?]
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Recommended Equipment
These items will make your volunteer shift easier and more comfortable:
- Folding camp chair: We ask that Volunteer Guides remain standing as their physical capabilities permit in the time leading up to the parade. But after the parade begins, we recommend sitting at post and having a folding camp chair available. This is the number one item parade volunteers say they'd wish they brought when they don't!
- FRS/GMRS radio: We'll plan to be on an FRS frequency for tactical communications, but the Command Post will use cell phone voice/SMS for volunteers who don't have a radio.
- Umbrella: Is it raining? You'll wish you had one. Is the sun out? You'll wish you had one. Best to hedge your bets and bring an umbrella.
- Snacks: We recommend high protein snacks. Watch out for sugary snacks that crash your energy later.
- Sunscreen: Recommend SPF-50 or higher.
- Rain poncho: Good idea to find a light, inexpensive rain poncho and fold it into your pack.
- First aid kit.
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What To Expect: The Operations Plan
All Parade Guide volunteers should expect to receive an electronic copy of the Operations Plan no more than three days before your shift, and a hard copy will be provided to you when you check in on parade day. Please do not request a copy of the Operations Plan if the parade is more than three days off.
You will receive the following information in the Operations Plan:
- Parade day timeline, including check-in and check-out times;
- Recommended parking;
- Location of restrooms for volunteers;
- Location of the Command Post;
- Relevant parade day phone numbers (e.g. cell phone numbers of personnel in the Command Post);
- Tactical radio frequencies;
- Reviews of required and recommended equipment;
- Review of radio protocols.
Post Procedures
Before you leave home for your volunteer shift
- Have your route from home planned. If you're driving, where will you park your vehicle while volunteering? (Recommended parking options for you will be included in the Operations Plan) How much time will you need to get from your home to check in at the Command Post?
- Check your equipment and make sure you have everything you want. We recommend having it prepped and ready to go the night before.
- If you have a smartphone, have this article loaded up on your browser so you can reference it as needed.
- Go to the bathroom before you leave. Bathrooms will be around, but
As a general rule, Parade Guides are to remain at their posts unless otherwise directed by Parade Guide Command Post.
