GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS AND
INFORMATION
Thanks much for helping out
with this year's 4th of July celebration.
For newcomers and returning old hands--WELCOME. This is a real fun project that requires us
to perform professionally and efficiently.
GENERAL
Information: The Evanston Fourth of
July Association relies on us every year to provide communications for the
parade on
PURPOSES: Our client is the 4th of July Association and
their key officers and chairmen. The
priority of communications is (1) EMERGENCIES,
(2) communications between Association Officials, (3) communications to facilitate staging of
the parade or fireworks in the evening, and (4) communications along the parade
route or spectator area in the evening.
NEW THIS YEAR: If
two or more 4th of July officials wish to discuss something
complicated or lengthy, do not hesitate to turn your radio over to your
tag to speak directly to the other official(s).
Notify Control in advance, and be sure all the other officials are
present with their tags and ready to go before doing so. Remain with your tag to keep control of the
communications as required by FCC rules.
This is especially true in the parade assembly area on the alternate
frequency (.675 direct).
YOUR Communicators will often work in very
noisy environments. You must be able
to monitor
EQUIP- traffic and answer promptly when
called. It is vital that you have a
speaker/mic, earpiece
MENT: or
similar equipment. If you have a tag,
try to use a speaker/mic so that he/she can hear the traffic, but use your best
judgment, if the noise is too high, go to an earpiece, etc.
Also,
you will need a sturdy clipboard to carry information, blank ruled paper for
taking messages, and plenty of writing implements. Be sure you are prepared!
POLICE
& FIRE Both in the afternoon as well
as in the evening we will have a communicator
EMERGENCIES: tagged with a police officer. This will be the primary interface for
messages to them from us and to us from them.
If you have an emergency, notify Control and the traffic will be passed
directly. If detail is needed, you may
be instructed to go direct with the police tag unit.
Daytime Event
THE The daytime activity involves the parade
that actually begins at
PARADE:
PARADE 4th of July Association volunteer PARADE MARSHALS help keep the parade
moving MARSHALS: in an orderly
fashion. Each PARADE MARSHAL is assigned
to a group of about 10 parade entries.
The MARSHALS wear yellow vests with “Marshal” written on the front and
back, and red, white and blue “Official” ribbons with name tags pinned to their
shirts. They also wear YELLOW HATS
labeled “Marshal”.
Each
PARADE MARSHAL will start with his/her group of parade entries and walk along
the route with the entries to the end of the parade (Dyche Stadium/Ryan Field).
One
of our prime functions is to assist these MARSHALS, especially with
communications. INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO
EACH MARSHALS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM. MAKE SURE TO MAINTAIN CONTACT SO THEY CAN
FIND YOU IF THEY NEED HELP OR A MESSAGE COMMUNICATED. If you are on foot and assigned to a specific
location, try to stay as close to the curb as possible.
The MARSHALS are instructed that if they
need to attract your attention this year they are to waive their YELLOW HAT
in the air. Please watch for this
signal.
ATTIRE: Again this year all communicators will be
issued our own caps, in distinctive red color with black letters “Radio
Communications”. In addition we may be
issued a yellow vest with the word “COMMUNICATIONS” in large red letters on the
front and back.
The
point of all this is so that we can be seen by the Marshals and any other
parade officials needing communications.
MAKE SURE YOU WEAR THEM!
SECURITY: A vital role again this year is to assure that
all intersections are kept clear of vehicles, crowd overflow, etc. so ALL
intersections along the route can be immediately utilized as emergency exits in
the event of a catastrophic event. Keep
an eye on all intersections and report any obstruction to Control
IMMEDIATELY. Blocking vehicles must be
moved IMMEDIATELY or notify Control for a tow.
GAPS
IN Each parade entry is instructed to
maintain a space both in front and behind of no more the width of an
intersection. Occasionally excessive
gaps may develop between
THE
PARADE: units in the parade. Watch out
for this, and if you spot one, look for the nearest MARSHAL. Check with the MARSHAL on how to adjust the
speed of the various units in order to close the gap - make sure you confer
before giving instructions to any parade units so that different people don't
wind up giving conflicting instructions!
Normally
the lead unit is too fast and is asked to slow down and the following unit is
asked to speed up. Ask each driver to
keep a sharp eye on the unit ahead or behind to minimize the gap. It is important to BE POLITE when requesting
cooperation of parade units. (Word to
the wise: a little sugar is often more effective than
"officiousness".)
Try
not to go too far from your assigned position while talking to parade units,
MARSHALS, etc. If necessary, call
control, the next radio communicator down the route, or a BRAVO (bicycle) unit
if more attention will continue to be needed.
Again
this year, parade gaps are especially vital to resolve quickly. Delay in the timely scheduled end of the
parade is especially critical to avoid to assure prompt availability of
Evanston Police personnel to other pressing assignments.
The
parade must end with the last unit reaching the end of the route no later than
4:00 P.M. If you see that a problem is
not being resolved promptly, be sure to NOTIFY CONTROL IMMEDIATELY. In worst cases, entrants may be removed from
the parade or relocated to different positions.
(NOTE - N.S.E.A. is the prime resource to assure the timely conclusion
of the parade to allow reassignment of police personnel and other public safety
resources.)
NO
PARADE ENTRY WILL BE ALLOWED TO START AFTER 3:30 P.M. This applies to ALL entries, even paid
marching bands. If a late entry tries to
work its way into the route after 3:30, notify Control IMMEDIATELY, and the police
will be called.
PARADE These are rules that have been promulgated
by The Evanston EMA. They are quoted
RULES: verbatim below, but use common sense in applying them. See this year’s Parade Marshal Handbook and
City of
“Unacceptable
Parade Activities
1. No
items or materials are to be passed from the parade entrant to the on-lookers
or vice versa. This includes squirt
guns, confetti, or similar materials. [This includes such things as throwing match
boxes, candy, distributing flyers, etc.
Shooting water, while technically prohibited, is probably o.k. if it
doesn't get out of hand (too much water, angry spectators, etc.) Political entries are often a problem. If they insist on passing things out, make
sure this is done only by people on foot, never from any moving
vehicle!]
2. No items or materials shall be passed from
the on-lookers to the parade entrants. This includes squirt guns, confetti or
similar materials.
3. Posters
and signs should be hand-held, sticks or poles are discouraged. [Its a
lot easier to deal with this in the assembly area, along the route only
intervene in the event of an actual problem.]
4. No
water guns, water balloons, super-soakers or fire extinguishers. [Use
common sense here, don’t intervene unless someone is specifically upset.]
5. No
smoke machines from atop floats or steam or spray misters.
6. Limited
use of amplifiers, bullhorns, and compressed air-horns.
7. No
fireworks; (report or non-report) will not be permitted; including
“poppers”. [Poppers will be prevalent again this year, try not to get involved
with them unless a specific significant problem develops.]
8. Any
unacceptable activity listed above may be cause for immediate removal from the
parade.
Emergency Evacuation & Access
1. All
barricaded street closures shall be kept clear so that Fire & Police can
respond laterally onto
2. In
case of a catastrophic situation in or during the parade, the parade will be
discontinued and all parade units will be dispersed laterally to the side
streets and return back to the start on smaller streets in order to keep
NSEA Comments:
A. Emphasize
cooperation and fun. If a problem
persists, such as a political unit refusing to stop throwing things to
spectators, advise Control. The MARSHALS
have the authority to ask any unit to immediately leave the parade, although
this is usually decided by the PARADE CHAIRMAN.
B. Street vendors with city permits are allowed
to be on
C. Specific security concerns this year include
any mist or dust being discharged.
Notify Control IMMEDIATELY and try to terminate all such activities at
once. Don’t hesitate to ask for police
assistance.
D. If a serious problem occurs (for example,
spectators throwing fireworks on the crowd, medical emergency, etc.) don't
hesitate to ask the nearest police officer, paramedic, etc. for immediate help.
Note: As a Communicator, make sure that you advise
Control of such situations. Keep Control
informed, parade officials often turn to us for the latest information on a
developing problem.
UNAUTHOR- Occasionally someone will enter the parade who
is not an official participant. Official
IZED entries have their parade sequence NUMBER
on the front right side of the vehicle, and
ENTRIES: at the end of the entry, where the NUMBER is
prominent. Unauthorized invaders on the
parade route should be directed to immediately leave the route at the nearest
safe place. If necessary, escort the
offender off the parade route.
Note: This applies to cars, bicycles, skateboards,
go-carts, etc. 2 years ago there was
only 1 go-cart authorized (from
If
you are unsure if a person properly belongs on the route, check with control,
and the PARADE CHAIRMAN will verify.
Don't hesitate to ask for more assistance from police officers, bravo
units, PARADE MARSHALS, etc. if the offender doesn't cooperate. Keep Control informed.
OTHER
Other problems from past years that
we need to watch for include: (1) Spectators spill-
PROBLEMS: ing out onto or impinging upon the street and
blocking entrants, especially the marching bands; (2) Spectators or vehicles blocking
ingress/egress to/from side streets; (3)
dangerous use of fireworks such as throwing on the crowd from roof tops; (4)
mechanical breakdowns of entrants;
(5) parade entries not fitting under the Green Bay Road Bridge; (6) fighting or unruly crowd; (7) medical emergencies with
spectators/entrants; (8) etc.
Again
this year ALL communicators have full powers as PARADE MARSHALS. Keep an eye open for anything which might
interfere with or dampen the celebration, and, if you believe a problem exists,
notify control. Remember that you can
always get back-up from Bravo/Charles/George/Tom units, and the police. In recent years the police have maintained
the new high level of cooperation to assist our people!
In
addition, in this post 9-11 world, do not hesitate to report any other
suspicious activity. The police have
been very explicit with us that they would rather have over-reporting than
under-reporting. When in doubt, NOTIFY
CONTROL!
PLACES TO KNOW
1. Information Booth: at
2. N.S.E.A. Command Post (CONTROL):
Central Street and Central Park Avenue, at the west end of the Mobil Station, south
side of the street.
3. Judges Stand: at
4. Reviewing Stand (for
dignitaries, such as the Mayor and Association Trustees): Between Eastwood and
5. Portable
Toilets at:
Ryan
Field (Dyche Stadium)
TYPES
OF 1. Intersection Post.
If you are assigned to an intersection, you will be on
ASSIGNMENTS: foot at the corner on
2. Tag Person. You are assigned to stay with an event
official, either on foot or bike and be that official's communication with
other officials. Stick with your
official at all times so they don't lose you.
3. Bravo Unit. A bicycle radio unit that covers a specific
area of the parade route -- to troubleshoot problems. You must be in shape! Bravo units may also be assigned in the
assembly area, and as TAGs with officials who do a lot of running or are on a
bicycle themselves. Radio ID example:
“Five Bravo Zero One”.
4. Charles Unit: A motorcycle/motor driven cycle unit for
faster response than Bravo if necessary. [“5 Charles 01"]
5. George Unit: A golf cart unit for faster response/more
capacity.
6. Tom Unit: A tractor unit for
heavy pulling (removal of disabled parade entries for example).
7. Adam Unit: An airborne
unit. (Not likely in this event.)
8. Henry Unit: A horse mounted
unit. (Not likely to be available this
year.)
8. Mary Unit: A marine (boat)
unit. Used for picket duty and fireworks
coordination in the evening.
Evening Event
The evening fireworks display
and concert take place near the
REPORT ANY PROBLEMS IN THE
CROWD, (FIGHTS, INJURIES, FIREWORKS, ETC.) TO CONTROL, AND THE NEAREST POLICE
OFFICER. Look for large
burning debris when the fireworks go off.
Call Control if fires start or the potential for injury from falling
fireworks debris exists.
The fireworks shooters will
start at 9:15 P.M. unless advised otherwise.
The person with the authority to start the fireworks is:
Dave Sniader - President & Lakefront Director
In addition to Dave, others
who can stop the fireworks, are:
Max Ruben - City of
Evanston Fire Chief, Fire Marshal, Capt. Jim Edwards
A Police and
Again this year the live
music will also be broadcast on 90.5 F.M.
This will begin at 7:30 P.M. with the band concert at the Lagoon. When the fireworks begin, the coordinated
music for the display will also be broadcast.
Once broadcasting starts, we may need signal reports, so bring a portable
F.M. radio if you can.
Please refer to your packet
for additional information regarding specific assignments, reporting times,
etc.
If you are unsure about
something, please ask.
This is truly an enjoyable project, and the
Radio Procedure
Notes
LISTEN
! This event is a very noisy
environment. You MUST listen for
traffic. It is very disruptive of the
net if you have to be called over and over again to receive traffic. Make best use of ear plug, speaker mike or
other radio options.
PRONUNCIATION: Each digit of a unit number or call sign
should be separately pronounced. Note
that “Oh” is a letter of the alphabet, and “Zero” is a number.
RIGHT: “Five Zero Seven”
WRONG: “Five Oh Seven”
WRONG: “Five twenty-three”
FCC
CALL Should be stated once each 15
minutes of continuing traffic, at the end of a transmis-
SIGNS: sion. If you have not transmitted for over 15
minutes, announce your call sign at the end of your next message. Can be done in lieu of 10-4.
Example: (Net
Control) - “Four Nine One ...”
(Answering) - “Four Nine One ...”
(Net
Control) - “Ten Nineteen ...”
(Answering)
- “Kay Aaa Bee Nine Seven Three Two ...”
EFFICIENCY: The net can easily get overloaded. THINK before you key. Plan your message in advance to communicate
as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We will use a semi-open net this year. This means that the words “to Control” will NOT
BE USED. To call Net Control, simply
announce your unit number. To call
another unit (during open net), use normal protocol, ie., “Five Zero Three to
Five One Nine”.
All of this is designed to make calling as
brief as possible in order to maximize the amount of traffic that can be
accommodated. Try to keep efficiency in
mind at all times.
TYPES Open
Net: Each radio unit may call any
other unit. The net is open unless
otherwise
OF declared by Net Control.
NETS:
Example: (Calling
unit) - “Five Zero Three to Five Eight Four ...”
(Answering)
- “This is Five Eight Four, go ahead ...”
Be
sure to listen closely to the net before transmitting to avoid covering other
traffic in progress, messages on direct, etc.
Semi-Closed Net:
Same as Open Net except the words “to [from] Net Control” are never
spoken. See above.
Closed Net: Control will declare when the net is CLOSED.
This is normally done when radio traffic becomes heavy, therefore, abbreviated protocol is utilized. Units may only call Control. This is done by stating your unit number only. Control will acknowledge each caller by unit
number.
Examples: (Calling
Unit) - “Five Five Five ...”
(Calling
Unit) - “Seven Two Nine ...”
(Net
Control) - “Seven Two Nine, stand by, Five Five Five ...”
If it
becomes necessary, request permission to communicate with another unit
directly. Do so only when really
necessary, however.
(Calling
Unit) - “Five Six Five, request Five Five Zero, direct ...”
(Net Control) - “Five Five Zero ...:
(Answering)
- “Five Five Zero ...”
(Net
Control) - “Five Five Zero, go direct with Five Six Five ...”
PRIOR- EMERGENCY: An immediate threat to life or property.
ITIES: Supersedes
all other traffic. All other
units must immediately stand by. (Example, “Two Four Three, EMERGENCY.”)
PRIORITY: An
urgent matter needing prompt attention, but not an emergency. (Example, "Two Four Three to Eight One
Nine, PRIORITY.")
(ROUTINE): All other traffic, which must yield to
EMERGENCY and PRIORITY traffic. No
priority is stated when transmitting ROUTINE traffic.
NET Net message dispatches contain
information directed to all units in the net (such
MESSAGE as a missing child description.)
DISPATCHES:
Net
Control will usually give advance warning that a Net Message Dispatch will be
broadcast. (Can be by announcing
"10-68".) Get out paper and
pencil and be prepared to copy the message.
Net
Message Dispatches normally require an acknowledgment from every unit in the
net. Units begin acknowledging receipt
of the Dispatch in numerical order, following the end of the Message.
Be
aware of where your unit number is in the order, so you can promptly
acknowledge receipt of the Net Message Dispatch during your turn in the order.
Example:
(Control) "End of 10-68."
"104, 10-4".
"134, 10-4".
"289, 10-4".
"467, 10-4".
"584, 10-4".
USE
OF10 CODES: Is for efficiency in high
traffic conditions. However, if in doubt
use of plain English is never wrong.
10 Codes used by N.S.E.A. are:
10-1 Receiving
poorly 10-44 I have a message for
10-2 Receiving
well 10-45 All
units in range please report
10-3 Stop
transmitting *10-46 Disabled vehicle
10-4 O.K./will
do/received *10-47 Mutual aid EMERGENCY
10-5 Relay *10-48 I'm assisting car, take info
10-6 This
unit busy *10-50 Traffic accident
10-7 Out
of service, off air *10-55 D.U.I.
10-8 In
service, on air *10-57 Hit and run
10-9 Repeat 10-60 What is next message #?
10-10 Transmissn
completed stndng by 10-62 Unable to copy, use phone
10-11 Talking
too rapidly 10-63 Net
directed to
10-12 Visitors
present *10-64 Message for local
distribution
10-13 Weather/road
conditions 10-65 Awaiting your next msg/assignment
*10-14 Your location & status? *10-66 Net message cancellation
10-16 Make
pick-up 10-67 All units comply
10-17 URGENT *10-68 Net message dispatch, stand by
10-18 Anything
for this unit? to copy
10-19 Return
to base/home 10-70 FIRE
10-20 Location 10-73 Speed trap at
10-21 Telephone 10-75 You are causing interference
10-22 Report
in person 10-76 Enroute
10-23 Stand
by 10-77 Negative, no contact
10-24 Assignment
completed *10-78 Arrived at location
10-25 Can
you contact ? 10-81 Reserve hotel room
10-26 DISREGARD 10-82 Reserve room
10-27 I
am moving to ch. 10-84 My
telephone number is
10-28 Identify your station 10-85 My address is
10-29 Time is up for contact 10-89 Radio
repairman needed
10-30 Does not conform to FCC rules 10-90 I
have TVI/intermodulation
10-33 EMERGENCY 10-91 Talk closer to microphone
10-34 Trouble
here, help needed *10-96 Mental subject
10-35 Confidential *10-97 10-7 at home
10-36 Time *10-98 10-8 at home
10-37 Tow
truck needed 10-99
10-38 Ambulance
needed all units secure
10-39 Message
Delivered 10-101 I have been stopped by the police
10-41 Please
move to ch. at
10-42 Traffic
accident 10-200 Police needed at
10-43 Traffic
tie up *10-601 UHF repeater down
*Not from "National CB 10
Code" (S9 magazine original CB 10 Code.)
10-48: Get location, description & plate. Call back in 5 minutes & verify all is
o.k. If unit is not 10-8 in reasonable
time, call back. If no answer after
reasonable # of calls/time, CALL POLICE!
APCO PHONETIC
ALPHABET:
A -
Adam B - Boy C - Charles D
- David E - Edward
F-
Frank G - George H - Henry I
- Ida J - John
K -
King L -
P -
Paul Q - Queen R - Robert S
- Sam T - Tom
U -
Union V - Victor W - William X - X-Ray Y
-Young
Z - Zebra
Just say the letter, and then the word. Do not use "as in". Example: "Smyth, S...Sam, M...Mary, Y...Young, T...Tom, H...Henry."