Emergencys

[Hephzibah]

Please this year can TPTB have a REAL notification system for all to the faire.
After last year with what happened to us. Sir John's grandmother died in the morining and we didn't learn of it till we got home after 10pm and she pasted at 8am

I can get into a pissing contest but that is not what we should be after . Just somewhere the system failed last year and I had my 20 yr. old having to deal with things she didn't need to yet in life.

Kids answering phones for simple things ok but if someone says it's a emergency please train them what to do. And if this was done my apologies but it didn't happen to us and that is what I brought up on the other board last year.

[Hephzibah]

Just a little spooked. Grandpa not the greastest and my 16 yr old will send me.......

[Hephzibah]

Well it was just great to see my concerns where taken seriously THANKS

[Sir Trevor]

I have to ask.
Just what do you think they can do?

There is no PA system.
No way to page anyone.
You've been at faire, how hard is it to track down someone you know? I know I have missed people I was looking for, and I knew them!
If you don't even know the person, or what they look like, how are you supposed to find them to give them a message?

Not being mean here.
Just curious what you think they can do.

[Hephzibah]

I understand what you guys are saying but if you don't have a cell phone and your pager doesn't reach that far. Remember some are coming some distance. It just a little unsettling though after going threw it once.

What do they do if a child is lost?

[SwordSchoolGroupie]

my cell phone doesn't work any near the faire. and I live only 35 minutes from there. there is no signal to speak of. it's not like a county faire where they have a PA system. so I agree that if you don't know the person you are looking for that it is nigh unto impossible.

I think with Cast or entertainers that would be different because you can kind of figure out where they will be at any given time, but as for actual patrons. I am not sure how that would work at all.

One of the nice things about faire is you can put away all of your 21st century gagets and really forget about "real " life for awhile... I guess other than borrowing someone's cell phone and hoping that you get a signal there really isn't much you can do.

[Kelzar]

hephzibah said:

What do they do if a child is lost?

Ooooo, that is just too easy....sell them to the gypsies

We have a centrally located information booth. I'd surmise that and lost parent/kid would be directed there. As for emergency contact, I'll have to side with those saying such is wholly and entirely the reponsibility of the patron.
If, IF GLMF staff/management would accept ANY shoulder of this, it would be of courtesy ONLY, and I would offer the idea that it be limited to checking at the information booth much like one would check for messages with a hotel desk.

The shire has grown and is spread out enough that attempting to get ahold of a single particular patron would be quite difficult.

Locating Morgan on the other hand.....well I suspect that would be about as hard as drinking an ale.

[SwordSchoolGroupie]

truer words were never spoken Kelzar..... I was thinking about messages at the info booth but unless you are a pessimist expecting trouble I would never think to go there and check:)

[Sir Trevor]

I did have an idea while reading this thread again.
If you are worried about a problem at home.
Maybe you could check in at the front office a few times a day.
Just to make sure no one has called for you.

I am sure they keep some kind of records or phone logs.

It would probably be best to call the office and make sure this would work though.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Yep, I think you guys have hit the nail on the head. It would be nigh-impossible to impliment an emergency contact system for patrons at the faire. Speaking from my experiences when I used to work in the office at Sears, it was a huge hassle even there, where:
(a) it was only one store, not a whole village
(b) we had a store-wide PA system
(c) and we descriptions of the customers from the people on the phone - and video cameras to try and find them.
In fact, I seem to recall now that we changed policy while I was working there, and no longer offered to make announcements like that.

As far as lost kids go, I have handled that personally a couple of times. Yes, we take them to the central info booth, we pass word through the security people with radios, and basically wait for someone to find the parents or for them to find us. In the mean-time, we entertain the kid as best we can to keep them calm. It all works out in the end.

[Hephzibah]

Sorry if my erlier post today sounded so witchy. It's just trying to take care of things before faire and ...... just plane to much on my plate right now. My apoliges !!

Thanks Trevor for the suggestion. I'll check into it.

[Bosha]

What about a few 'town cryers' who would travel through the shire and announce any emergency situations. They still could be character, but all the actors and employees would know that if that person is around, then they too would spread the word. Just a thought.....

[Hephzibah]

bosha said:

What about a few 'town cryers' who would travel through the shire and announce any emergency situations. They still could be character, but all the actors and employees would know that if that person is around, then they too would spread the word. Just a thought.....

I really like that idea. It would really fit into the faire too. Thankyou Hear Ye kind souls...........

[wyldfire]

I had a thought this morning... (scary as that is...)

Anyhoos.....

Another suggestion for those who may have a need to be contacted in the event of a true home emergency, is to contact the sheriff's department. I'm not sure, due to the massive amounts of layoffs in Ashtabula County....but I am assuming they will still have deputy's present at the festival. In any event, I am positive if you were to contact the department, they would in turn page the deputy on duty (normally it's Pete or Brian -- and either would go out of their way to help).

If you need numbers, etc. www.ashtabulacountysheriff.org/

[Hephzibah]

Long bow to Wyldfire

You just reminded me of something . That was what we had to do to contact my brother out in Oregon(mountain man) when my Mom passed

Numbers are now on the frig

Thankyou dear friend