Welcome, Volunteers!
The Granite State District Event planning committee is excited to welcome you to the Granite State District Event. As a FIRST volunteer, you have been given a unique opportunity to take the lead in demonstrating the core values and ethos of the FIRST Robotics Competition program. We appreciate your commitment to discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun, and our committee has been working hard to bring you a safe and delightful weekend of intense robot competition!
You will find lots of volunteer information specific to the event on this page. Please use it as a reference.
Thank you for volunteering your time and skills to our event!
Volunteer Information
Thank you for joining us at the Granite State District Event!
Parking
A map for volunteer parking for the event can be found below. Look for the blue-outlined Volunteer & VIP Parking area and entrance marked with a blue star.
Venue Layout
Venue-Specific Rules:
- Please stay within the designated open areas in the building and not venture into curtained- or roped-off areas.
Food, Attire & Belongings
Volunteers will be provided with free food and snacks in the volunteer lounge throughout the entirety of the event.
Food Rules & Reminders:
- Breakfast and Lunch will be provided in the Volunteer Lounge
- Meals are for the volunteers only on the day they are volunteering
- Breakfast starts at 7:00AM
- Lunch will be available starting at 12:00PM, though a Volunteer coordinator or the lead for your area will notify you when you should head to lunch as backfilling your position may be required
- Dinner will be provided on Friday and Saturday for the following volunteers who will be staying late: Robot Inspectors, Safety Attendants, Pit Administration Support, Field Assembly and Field Volunteers.
On-Site Concessions:
Although purchasing your own food is not necessary, on-site concessions will be offered throughout the weekend. Please do not order food to be delivered at the school. Concessions from local restaurants will be available for purchase at the event throughout the day.
Attire:
–You will receive a volunteer t-shirt for you to wear when you get to the event
–Dress comfortably and appropriately
–Wear comfortable shoes since most positions will require you to be on your feet
–Bring safety glasses if you have them.
–Load In/Welcome table/crowd control may want a sweatshirt since they may be stationed near
the high school doors
Belongings:
Personal items can be stored in the volunteer lounge during the event. This room is not always monitored throughout the day, so please do not bring valuables in with you.
Safety Information
All physical injuries/illnesses at a FIRST event must be reported to FIRST HQ.
Click Here To Report A Medical Incident With FIRST
General Safety Guidelines
As always, regular safety event rules apply at this event, including:
-
No running in the pits
-
Safety glasses are required in the pits and around the competition field
-
Open-toe and open-back shoes are not allowed
-
Always handle batteries with care
Refer to the FIRST Safety Manual for additional safety guidelines.
We also encourage teams to create an event safety plan that identifies a meeting place away from the building in a safe and accessible area where team members will meet if a building evacuation is necessary.
Please notify event safety personnel, event officials, or Pit Administration of any safety concern, medical incident, or emergency situation as soon as safely possible.
Local Urgent Care, Hospitals, & Pharmacies
URGENT CARE:
ConvenientMD Urgent Care
3 Nashua Rd, Bedford NH 03110
(603) 472-6700
*Open 8AM - 8PM
Elliot Urgent Care at Bedford
25 Leavy Drive, Bedford NH 03110
(603) 472-1772
*Open 7AM - 4PM
CLOSEST HOSPITALS:
Catholic Medical Center
100 MacGregor St, Manchester NH 03102
(603) 668-3545
*Open 24 Hours
Elliot Hospital
1 Elliot Way, Manchester, NH 03103
(603) 669-5300
*Open 24 Hours
*Emergency Room Open 24 Hours
CVS, Walgreens, Hannaford:
Walgreens
258 Wallace Rd, Bedford, NH 03110
(603) 472-5847
*Store open 7AM - 10PM
*Friday - Pharmacy open 9AM - 8PM (30 minute break, 1:30PM - 2PM)
*Saturday/Sunday - Pharmacy open 9AM - 5PM (30 minute break, 1:30PM - 2PM)
CVS Pharmacy
66 S River Rd, Bedford, NH 03110
(603) 669-6187
*Friday 8AM - 8PM, Saturday 9AM - 5PM (30 minute break, 1:30PM - 2PM)
Hannaford Pharmacy
4 Jenkins Rd, Bedford, NH 03110
603-472-2501
*Friday - 9AM-8PM, Saturday 9:30AM-4PM, Sunday 9:30AM-2PM
Forms/YPP
Acknowledgement Forms:
Please make sure that you have completed all required acknowledgement forms prior to attending the event!
From your Dashboard at www.firstinspires.org, select your name in the upper right and
select ‘Acknowledgement Forms’ to review any incomplete forms.
FIRST Youth Protection:
Safety is at the forefront of FIRST® participation.
The FIRST Youth Protection Program (linked here) provides all participants in FIRST programs with
information, guidelines, and procedures to create a safe environment for our student participants.
The information below contains key components of the FIRST Youth Protection Program that all adults
and youth should be aware of while participating in FIRST programs.
Click Here to Report a medical or youth protection concern with FIRST
FIRST has a zero-tolerance policy regarding retaliation against anyone who reports a concern or who cooperates in an investigation of a reported concern. All submissions to the Reporting Portal are investigated by FIRST with appropriate action taken based on the findings.
Event Volunteer Training
The FIRST Youth Protection page (linked here) provides a number of resources that volunteers should be familiar with before working with youth in our programs. The FIRST Youth Protection Program guide(download here) contains the policies and guidelines that all volunteers and youth participants must adhere to when participating with FIRST. The Youth Protection page also has a link to Youth Protection Training Videos (linked here). This training is intended to enable adults working with FIRST teams to recognize situations that may pose a threat to team member safety and take the actions necessary to prevent and report injuries. We encourage anyone participating with FIRST to take this training to better understand how to protect themselves and our youth participants. The training consists of a series of short videos; each video is no more than 5 minutes, and the entire series can be completed in 40-50 minutes.
Volunteer Screening
All adult event volunteers are required to pass Youth Protection screening.
If you have questions, or would like to speak to someone directly, please email safetyfirst@firstinspires.org or call 603-206-2050. You can find more information, training, and guidance at http://www.firstinspires.org/youth-protection.
Profile & Setup
Prior to the Event
Please register with FIRST! All volunteers’ names must be in the FIRST Volunteer Management System (VMS) database prior to the event.
To ensure the best volunteer experience, please ensure the following information in your FIRST Inspires profile is current:
- Preferred names and pronouns can be provided or updated by clicking your name in the upper-right corner of the browser window and clicking "My Profile."
- FIRST alumni information, employer, school, or other affiliations may be provided or updated by clicking your name in the upper-right corner of the browser window, clicking "My Profile," and then navigating to "My Information."
- Dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferred shirt size may be provided or updated by clicking your name in the upper-right corner of the browser window, clicking "My Profile," and then navigating to "Volunteer Information."
Updates about the Granite State District Event will be sent to your inbox closer to the beginning of the event.
Getting Here
Bedford High School is located at 47 Nashua Rd, Bedford, NH 03110. See below for a map of the area around the building.
DIRECTIONS:
From Boston
Follow I-93 North into New Hampshire to Manchester. As you approach the I-293 split in Manchester after exit 5, use the left lanes to exit onto I-293 North. Follow I-293 for 2.5 miles, keep left to continue onto NH 101 West. Use the left lane to take left turn at lights to remain on NH 101 W. Continue for 0.5 mile , take left onto Nashua Rd. Follow Nashua Rd for 0.5 mile and take right at the 4-way stop sign to enter the Bedford Middle/High School access road.
From Concord, NH
Take I-93 South from Concord. Use the left lanes below the Hooksett tolls to exit onto I-293 South. Take exit 3 and stay right to continue onto NH 101 West. Use the left lane to take left turn at lights to remain on NH 101 W. Continue for 0.5 mile , take left onto Nashua Rd. Follow Nashua Rd for 0.5 mile and take right at the 4-way stop sign to enter the Bedford Middle/High School access road.
From Portsmouth, NH
Take NH 101 West towards Manchester. Continue onto I-93 South/NH 101 West in Manchester and use the right lanes to exit onto I-293 North/NH 101 West. Follow for 2 miles and stay left to continue on NH 101 West. Use the left lane to take left turn at lights to remain on NH 101 W. Continue for 0.5 mile , take left onto Nashua Rd. Follow Nashua Rd for 0.5 mile and take right at the 4-way stop sign to enter the Bedford Middle/High School access road.
Reminders/Other
– To park at the venue, a Parking Pass will need to be printed and displayed on your dashboard. Your Volunteer Coordinator should have sent it to you. If you have not received it, please reach out ASAP!
– Please make sure to check inat the Volunteer Check-In table each day
– Some “on-site” rearranging of volunteers may be necessary to fill in critical volunteer positions
– If someone asks you a question that you cannot answer, please send them to the Pit Admin table or find an event organizer
– The bleacher seating is open to the teams; the playing field is only open to volunteers, media, FIRST personnel, VIPs, and teams
– Safety glasses are required for everyone in the pit area and playing field
– Lost & Found is located at Pit Administration
– There is an on-site machine shop for teams to repair their robots.
– Please read through your volunteer info and/or training material if provided
- Review the "Checklist" tab for a to-do list to ensure that you are prepared for the event!
- Stay tuned for updates about the UNH District Event! They will be sent to your inbox closer to the beginning of the competition.
Who Do I Report To?
Field Volunteers, including Field Assembly/Disassembly & Field Repair/Reset
Report to: Field Supervisor
Referees & Official Scorers
Report to: Head Referee
Judges
Report to: Judge Advisor
Team Queuing Volunteers
Report to: Lead Queuer
Pit Volunteers, including Pit Admin Support & Pit Announcer
Report to: Pit Admin Supervisor
Robot Inspectors
Report to: Lead Robot Inspector
Safety Attendants
Report to: Safety Manager
All Other Volunteers, please report to the Volunteer Coordinators!
Please note:
Names of Volunteer Leads can be found in the volunteer information packet sent to your email. This information is private, and should not be published.
Pit Layout
Thank you to our sponsors
Title Sponsor:
Season Presenting Sponsor:
