– FIRST Tech Challenge DECODE Season Guide

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Overview
Roles Covered:Pit Admin Supervisor, Pit Administrator, Team Check-in
Job Description
Pit Administrator is a customer service role that collects and relays information about the event for the
various stakeholders attending a FIRST^® Tech Challenge event including teams, parents, and volunteers.
They manage all activities in the pit, along with pit area operations including coordination of the Pit
Administration station, and team interface and assistance.
Requirements
Technical
Low
Physical
Low
Administrative
High
Communication
High
Pre-event Training
Low

Time Commitment
Pit Administrators should expect to spend 8-10 hours at a full-day event and 3-4 at a league meet. 1-2
hours of pre-event training is required.
Attire
• Most of the time will be spent sitting inside, bring a sweater or jacket if you might be cold.
• Comfortable closed-toe, closed-heel shoes, some of the day will involve standing and walking.
• ANSI Z87.1 certified safety glasses are required in the pit areas.
Training and Certification
Read and complete all tasks listed in thePre-Event Trainingsection.
Any volunteer who applies to a role will be able to get into the Learning Management System (LMS)
using the 'FIRSTTraining' button. Roles with the training required will appear in the 'roles missing
certification' area.
If you have applied for a role but have not received access to the training, please email
training@firstinspires.org. A separate confirmation of the role assignment will come later.
Pit Administrators are required to complete the FIRST^® Data Protection and Privacy Training for
volunteers, which is accessible through theVolunteer Dashboard. This training provides information
about how to properly handle personally identifiable information that may be received at events.
Pit Administration volunteers should speak to the Event Director to find out if there are any additional
requirements, such as meetings before the event or tours of the space before the event. The
approximate training time is one hour.
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Roles and Responsibilities
Pit Admin
Pit Administration volunteers play a vital role at an event. They are usually stationed at a table in the
team pit area and end up answering many questions throughout the day from teams, coaches, mentors,
and spectators. This role is a fast-paced, customer service role, rather than an administrative role. The
event Pit Administrator is responsible for making sure the event attendees have all the information they
need about the event, resources, schedule, and timing. Responsibilities of the Pit Administration
volunteers may vary from region to region, so it is important to check with the Event Director about
specific responsibilities on event day. At minimum, this will include:
Responsibilities
Greeting teams as they arrive at the event.
Check in teams and confirm they have their consent and release forms and team
rosters.
Reporting any medical or non-medical incidents in ourFIRST^® Reporting Portal.
Collect/return lost and found items
Assistance with general inquiries from teams, coaches, mentors, and spectators.
Collecting resources such as engineering portfolios from teams.

It is an event best practice for all portfolios to be brought by the team
directly to their interview as that ensures a safe and timely handoff to the
judges. However, in some cases portfolios may be turned in during the
team check-in process. Work with the Judge Advisor to confirm
instructions for portfolio collection to share with the teams at check-in.

An accurate answer is more important than a fast answer. If someone asks a question and you are not
sure about the answer, take a note and tell them when they can come back for an update. This is
especially important if the question relates to the competition rules. Teams who have questions about
the rules should be directed to the Question Box near the field as the Head Referee is the only one at
the event who can give a conclusive answer to a rules question.
Prerequisites for Pit Admin Role
To serve as a Pit Admin Supervisor no previous experience is required, but the volunteer must complete
the required PII training before the event as they may handle sensitive information.
Before the Event
The Pit Amin Supervisor may or may not be asked to be included as part of the event planning
committee.
Confirm with the Event Director if there are any administrative duties required before the event such as
printing forms, assembling packets, or organizing files.
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Pre-Event Training
The Pit Administrator or Team Check-in roles do not require pre-event training.
Pit Admin Supervisor must complete the required reading in this section and are required to pass a
certification test prior to serving in this role.
Resources for training and certification:
Pit Admin Supervisor Pre-event Training List
Requirement
Resource
Required
Welcome to FIRST
Required
ThePit Admin Supervisor Volunteer Manual(this document)
The Competition Manual – specifically:
Required
• Section 8: Game Overview
Required
Complete the FIRST Data Protection and Privacy Training
Competition Manual – specifically:
• Section 3: Competition Eligibility and Inspection (I)
Encouraged
• Section 4: Advancement
• Section 5: Event Rules (E)
• Section 6: Awards (A)
Encouraged
Complete Strategies for Inspiring Success for All modules.
Watch the game animation videofor a general understanding of the
Optional
game
Complete the Pit Admin Supervisor Certification Test in the FIRST^®
Learning System
Required
(For volunteers outside of North America without a FIRST^® Dashboard
Account use the PDF to self-certify)
Event Day
Report Time
Your event director or volunteer coordinator will confirm the time you should arrive typically via email
the week before the event. In most cases, pit admins will be expected to arrive before the venue is open
for teams to help set-up and prepare for team check-in.
When you arrive onsite check in with the Volunteer Coordinator and let the Event Director know you
have arrived.
Pit Admin Table Set-up
After checking in, proceed to the Pit Admin area and begin to set up your space so you will be
organized when volunteers and teams arrive. You should have a filing system and a lockable storage
box for Private Identifiable Information (PII) you will receive at check-in in your area. Confirm with your
Event Director what will be provided to you at the event.
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Large events may have more than one Pit Admin volunteer, discuss with your partner(s) how you want
to organize the space and if you want to have specific lines for teams and volunteers at check-in.
Confirm what system you will use to makePit Announcementsand check that you know how it works.
Review all the event documentation so you are familiar with the answers to the most common
questions. Recommended printouts for Pit Admin and who typically provides them:
Print Out
Provided by
Qty
Event Director or Program
Team List forTeam Check-in
1-2
Delivery Partner
Volunteer List forVolunteer Check-in
Volunteer Coordinator or
1-2
(as applicable)
Program Delivery Partner
Lost Item Form (mostly for larger events)
Program Delivery Partner
0-15
Walk-on Volunteer Policy and Form
Program Delivery Partner
5-10
Volunteer Coordinator,
Public Schedule*
1 per team, plus extras
Program Delivery Partner
Scorekeeper or
Pit Map*
1 per team, plus extras
Program Delivery Partner
Scorekeeper or
Judging and Inspection Schedules*
1 per team, plus extras
Program Delivery Partner
Scorekeeper or
Event Layout/Map*
1 per team, plus extras
Program Delivery Partner
Match Schedule* (available about 30
mins before matches are scheduled to
Scorekeeper
1 per team, plus extras
start)

*Best Practice:Take one copy each of the Public Schedule, Pit Map,
Judging and Inspection Schedule, Event Layout, and Match Schedule and
tape them to the table or message board at Pit Admin. If there are not
enough printouts or teams lose their copies, they can take pictures of
each to share with their team.

Team Interaction and Support
When interacting with teams please always consider the team’s perspective. The teams have put
significant time and effort into preparing for this event and may be feeling very stressed about
everything working out as they have planned. Today is a very big deal for them and we are here to help!
While it is our job to help guide teams through a successful event, it is their responsibility to follow the
rules and be on time for judging and matches.
If you feel there is an issue with an individual or individuals from a team that warrants specific
intervention beyond just a kind reminder, please ensure the correct stakeholders for the team are
aware. Here is a generally acceptable process when working with a student or team who you need to
change their behavior:

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The ABCs of Managing Team Behaviors
Do not directly reprimand a student one-on-one without an adult
from their team present. Ask the student to bring an adult
Ask for an Adult
responsible for the team to meet you before discussing the
concerns at hand.
Is the environment conducive to the feedback you are about to
Be aware of the
give? Is it loud in the area where you are? Are there other teams
Environment
around that may hear the reprimand? Moving the conversation to
a quieter, more private space as needed can be helpful.
(Offer a) Clear
Explain the concern to the team and offer clear examples of the
Explanation
concerning behavior.
Offer the opportunity for students and adults to ask clarifying
Discuss any Questionsquestions
Outline with the students and adults what the next steps are if the
Explain Next Steps
issue is not corrected. Certain behaviors may include the risk of
yellow cards

Note: the only person at an event who can give an official warning or
issue a yellow/red card is the Head Referee. Please refer these more
severe issues to the Head Referee and notify the Event Director.
Do not pass on any negative feedback about any teams directly to the Judges or Judge Advisor (JA),
because it is not possible to know all the contributing factors around such a complaint or observation.
If there are issues repeated or egregious, follow the Non-Medical Incident Reporting process and
inform the Event Director. The Judge Advisor may work with the Event Director to determine if there is
any relevant feedback to provide the Judges for their evaluation process.
Teams may only be completely disqualified from awards consideration for very rare egregious actions
and only with approval from FIRST^® HQ. The Event Director and/or JA should call the on-call number to
discuss the issue.
Check-in
At most events teams and volunteers are directed to Pit Admin to check-in when they arrive at the
venue. In some cases, there is another table set-up closer to the venue entrance for check-in. Confirm
with your Event Director or Volunteer Coordinator for expectations of your role with check-in at the
event.
Team Check-in
The Event Director or Scorekeeper should give you a list of teams registered to attend the event. At
some events they use the electronic check-in feature built into the FTC Live scoring system. If using the
electronic system, you will most likely be provided with a tablet and some basic instructions on how to
use the check-in function.
You are likely the first official person to speak to the team that day, be ready to take a moment to greet
them and set the tone for having a great day!
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Within a short time of the team's arrival an adult (non-student over the age of 18) with the team should
report to the team check-in area. They should present you with papers showing each member of their
team has completed the annual consent and release form.
The specific forms provided may vary outside of the United States so confirm with your Event Director
what you should be checking and what to do if a team is missing their forms.
Important: All documents with Personal Identifying Information (PII) such
as team rosters and consent forms must be stored in a secure location at
pit admin. A locking file box is a common solution.

After the team has checked-in you should provide any team-packets with information needed for the
day (if available), if packets are not available, please take a few minutes to provide the team adult with
important information they will need for the day such as the general layout of the space and published
schedule. Encourage them to take pictures to share with their team members if you have a printed copy
posted at your station. If the team has an assigned judging or inspection time, ensure they are aware of
when and where they need to report.
Volunteer Check-in
Either Pit Admin or the Volunteer Coordinator will assist with volunteer check-in. If you are not
responsible for volunteer check-in, confirm what you should tell volunteers to do when they arrive if
they come to you first.
If you are tasked with volunteer check-in, you will be given a list of volunteers assigned to the event.
When the volunteer arrives, ensure they have completed the proper paperwork including the annual
consent and release and any background screening required by FIRST^® Headquarters and/or your local
region.
Provide the volunteer with a welcome packet if available, and make sure they are aware of the event
layout and public schedule. Check off on your list that the volunteer has arrived and is ready to support
the event, then ask them to go check-in with the other volunteers in their area.
Emergencies
The Program Delivery Partner, Event Director and the event site host organization are responsible for
having safety and security plans in place for each event. Included in the plan should be topics such as:
• A map of all the emergency exits
• Knowledge of where on-site medical support is located
• Shelter in place plans in the case of severe weather
• Evacuation plans
Teams should have their own safety plans before attending the event. Here are some team-focused
recommendations for Preparing to Safely Attend a FIRST^® Event.

Lost Children
FIRST^® Tech Challenge events can be very hectic, and it can be easy for a child to get lost amongst the
shuffle of a busy event. Ensure you have a plan prior to the event in the instance of a lost child.
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In some cases, the team roster will list Coach phone numbers which can be used to reunite team
members, in some regions they collect “Day-of” cell phone numbers from each team at check in.
Coordinate your plan with your Program Delivery Partner.
Code Adam Guidelines (www.missingkids.com/CodeAdam) are also a great resource.
Medical Incident Reporting
Event volunteers are not responsible for diagnosing student injuries, handing out medication, or first aid
equipment. You and other event volunteers should refer medical issues and emergencies to a medical
professional on site, such as an EMT. If an incident or illness occurs at an event, the Event Director, Pit
Administrator, or another trained delegate should do the following:
• Call 911 if there is any question whether the injured
person/persons require urgent medical attention.
• Respond to the scene immediately. Bring a clipboard, pen, or a
electronic device to complete the incident report on theFIRST^®
Reporting Portal.
• Complete the incident report for the injured party.

www.firstinspires.org/report

The Event Director or Pit Administration volunteers are responsible for completing incident reports. The
incident reporting person should follow the best practices for incident reporting:
Best Practices for Incident Reporting
Anyone handling incident reporting should have a calm demeanor. They
Be Calm
should be able to collect information and talk to witnesses without assessing
fault.
In all conversations with the injured, witnesses, spectators, and/or media
always say "the incident is being investigated" without any further comment.
Be ConciseIt is not the job of the report collector to provide any opinions on the situation
at hand.
Be Risk
Do not imply liability or any payment, as no one knows for sure until all the
Conscious
facts are collected.
Those taking in incident reports should be able to communicate with the
insurance company if necessary. They should also be aware of who they
Be Preparedneed to share incidents with, including the local Program Delivery
Organization or the Event Director.

Although most incidents will not result in a claim, it is better to act on the side of caution and report
them. Should an incident result in a claim after the event, the documents will be on file, complete with
witnesses and a written report.
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Youth Protection Reporting
Issues that are non-medical but are of concern to a
participant/participants should also be reported. Anything that
happens during an event that made a youth volunteer, team
member or spectator feel uncomfortable or threatened should
be addressed.
As appropriate and if you feel safe doing to, speak directly with
the offending party and try to quickly and calmly defuse the

immediate issue. Call the Event Director and/or the Program
www.firstinspires.org/report
Delivery Partner and inform them of the issue and seek
assistance as needed with any immediate remediation of the issue.
Ensure all issues are reported in a timely manner using theFIRST^® Reporting Portal.Youth Protection
Concerns encompasses a wide variety of one-time or ongoing issues such as suspected abuse,
bullying, harassment, discrimination, questionable behavior, or violation to the FIRST^® Code of Conduct.
Reporting Other Issues or Concerns
Feedback about issues such as game play, rule changes,
awards, and event management (other than
medical/safety issues) are considered program related
concerns and not youth protection issues and should be
shared with FIRST via customerservice@firstinspires.org
or bycontacting support.
Please note that match results and award results are final
help.firstinspires.org/s/contactsupport
and that we will not review match videos.
Safety
An important priority for all volunteers is to observe their event areas to help promote a safe and
orderly space for all the participants. It is likely that various volunteers and event participants will bring
concerns to your attention, but you should also be proactive in identifying areas of concern.
Prioritize working with the teams to help identify and correct potential safety issues in the area. Please
review the section aboutTeam Interaction and Supportfor the best ways to work with teams on
making changes.
Safety Glasses and Closed Toe Shoes
All volunteers, teams, coach/mentors, and spectators are required to have safety glasses and wear
closed toe shoes while in the pit and competition areas. It is important to watch out for anyone entering
these areas without proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and to ask them to put on proper PPE
before entering. Some events will have volunteers staffed at the pit entrance with spare safety glasses
to pass out. Other events may not have spares to provide.
Pit Spaces
Specific rules governing what teams can have and do in their pit space are covered in the Competition
Manual, but the Event Directors may add additional restrictions which must be published before the
event based on limitations set by the venue.
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Common areas where teams need help to stay safe and within the rules:
• No open flames or sparks.
• Power tools are generally permitted as long as they are not causing damage to the venue.
• Aisles, walkways, and doors should be clear of obstructions.
• Teams may set up practice spaces as long as they are fully within their designated space.
• No structure may be taller than 10 feet.
Pit Announcements
Pit Admin is sometimes tasked with making general announcements that are relevant to most of the
participants at an event. At some events there will be a speaker system set-up, but other events may
use other methods like a dry erase board or a display monitor in the pits to distribute this information.
These announcements are for critical information needed by the event participants. Please be
thoughtful of not diluting the important information being conveyed by including non-critical
announcements such as birthday celebrations and thank you shoutouts.
If the announcement system being used is a speaker, please be extra aware of the volume and
frequency of announcements to not overwhelm participants with too much audio congestion. Focus on
quality announcements which are timely, short, and actionable for teams.
Quality Announcements
Low
High
Why
Hello teams, we are excited
to have you at the event this
morning! Reminder for all
teams to check-in at pit
The driver’s meeting
Keep announcement as short as
admin. After everyone is
will be at 10:30am in
possible so people are more likely to
checked-in we need the
the bleachers.
listen to them.
drivers with their driver pins
to go to the stands for the
drivers’ meeting at
10:30am.
This afternoon we will have
a lunch break from 12:30-
This is the last match
1pm. We will know which is
Announce this just before the last
being played before
the last match to play
match before the lunch break to
lunch. Matches will
before lunch in a few hours
ensure it is timely.
resume at 1pm
when it is closer to the
break.
Announcements must be useful- if it
Reminder, safety glasses
is not new information, do not post it.
Do not Announce
are required in the pit area!
If specific people are not wearing
safety glasses, go tell them directly.
Happy 17th Birthday to
This is not useful or widely applicable
Do notAnnounce
Sarah from team 12345!
for teams at the event.
In case of fire please
Only post non-urgent announcements.
evacuate the building using Do notAnnounce
Use other mediums to communicate
the marked exits
urgent information.
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End of the Day
Lost and found items are usually kept in the pit administration area at events, please try to match up
the lost items with their owner. Take inventory of what has been turned in and try to match items with
lost items sheets that have been filled out throughout the day. Any items not claimed should be given
to the Event Director.
Once qualification matches are completed, and alliance selection has taken place, teams will often
begin to tear down their pit areas. The pit volunteers can begin to tear down their area at this time.

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Important Tools
Public Schedule
The Program Delivery Partner or the Event Director should publish the public schedule of events before
the event. This schedule will have a high-level overview of all the activities for the event. It is important
that everyone at the event does their best to stay true to the public schedule so that teams and
volunteers who have planned their day around these times have a good experience.
Time
Agenda
7:15 am
Doors Open for Staff & Key Volunteers
7:30 am
Judges and Inspectors Report
8:00 am
Doors Open for Teams
8:30 am
Judging & Inspection Commences
10:15 am Team Check-in Hard Deadline (Check the Competition Manual)
Match schedule is generated and distributed to teams. (Check the Competition Manual)
10:30 am Note to Scorekeeper: 6 Matches total(Check the Competition Manual)
10:40 am Drivers’ Meeting with Head Referee & Opening Ceremony
Qualification Matches 1 - 8
11:00 am Note to Scorekeeper: 7-minute cycle-time
12:00 pm Lunch
Qualification Matches 9 - 45
12:45 pm Note to Scorekeeper: 5-minute cycle-times
3:50 pm
Qualification Matches Projected End
4:00 pm
Alliance Selection
4:20 pm
Double Elimination Rounds 1 - 4
5:10 pm
Award Ceremonies Start & Double Eliminations Round 5
6:20 pm
Projected End of Event
7:00 pm
Doors Close
Occasionally things that happen out of the event’s control may impact the schedule. In these cases,
work closely with the Event Director to understand the updated agenda.
Figure 1: Example Schedule for a 30 Team Event

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Registered Teams List
The Program Delivery Partner may provide a list of teams registered for the event or the scorekeeper
can export a report of all the registered teams for the event. Sometimes this list may change the day of
the event based on which teams show up. The Scorekeeper report will have the most accurate
information about who is competing at an event. Notes that teams may be competing only in the
judging portion of the event and not have a robot present.
Figure 2: Competing Team Report

Volunteer Roster
The Volunteer Coordinator or the Program Delivery Partner will have access to a list of applied and
assigned volunteers for the event.

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Event Layout/Map
The Program Delivery Partner and Event Director should publish a map of the venue before the event. In
some cases, details on the map might not be available until the day of the event.
The Event Layout / Map should detail the following:
• Load-In Path
• Parking for Personal Vehicles and Busses
• Team Check-in
• Volunteer Check-in
• Competition Area
• Pit Area (May include thePit Map)
• Judging Room Locations (if applicable)
• Safety Details as available (Emergency Exits, AED, Shelter in Place Locations)

Figure 3: Example Event Map
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Judging Schedule

Figure 4: Example Judging Schedule
Match Schedule
The match list will be generated on the day of the event after the teams have been confirmed. This
schedule will list which teams will play in which alliance (Red or Blue) and it will also list a match start
time seeFigure 5. Some events will have more than one competition field and/or more than one
division and each division will have its own schedule.

Figure 5: Example Match Schedule

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Pit Map
Pit maps are typically provided by either the Event Director or by the Scorekeeper. Having a map of
where each team is in the pit is key, as teams, parents or Queuers might need to find. Pit Maps created
in FTC Scoring will appear on the FTC-Eventspage.

Figure 6: Example Pit Map for a small12-team Qualifier Event

Figure 7: Example Pit Map for a Typical Regional Championship Event
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Useful Links and Information
On-Call Support Numbers
On-Call Support
These numbers are for volunteer support only. Teams should not use these numbers
to call about rulings or technical assistance.

Administrative, Judge, Referee and Non-Technical Issues:
(603)206-2412

Scoring System (FTC Live) or other Technical Issues:

(603)206-2450
Call or use the built-in chat feature on FTC Live available for events with internet
access
Pre-Event Support
Mon – Fri
8:30am – 5:00pm Eastern Time (UTC-4 or UTC-5)
Contact Supportincluding live chat or emailcustomerservice@firstinspires.org

Program Resources
FIRST^® Tech Challenge Website
Event Search

Game and Season Resources
FIRST^® Tech Challenge Blog

Volunteer Resources
Team Email Blasts

Feedback
We strive to create support materials that are the best they can be. If you have feedback about this
manual, please emailcustomerservice@firstinspires.orgor bycontacting support. Thank you!
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Document Outline

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