Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Poutine ain't that popular in Ontario...


Maybe the Olympic Stadium in Montreal could make a nice venue for the Champs

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

I personally watched a vagrant rip the windshield wipers off a car at a stoplight when the driver refused to pay the vagrant for an unwanted window "wash". Shortly after that trip I was contacted by the FBI because an Italian restaurant I ate at was being jointly investigated by the US and Canadian officials for being a front for the Mafia to launder money. They asked me what I had eaten and what we were charged.

So Toronto is off the list too.

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Alright I got it. We should host the Championship on the MOON!

No Crime Rate, No overpriced restaurants, 38 million square kilometers of space. It's Perfect! First 8 teams to arrive will play Lunacy with the First arriving & second arriving teams picking teams.

In all seriousness like others have been saying all cities are dangerous to some extent. I think we need to start asking what can we as mentors/team members/coaches do to ensure the safety of our team members and other teams. But hey that's just my opinion.

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

I like the idea of champs being on the moon. #LunacyFTW

Yeah, I've had enough of people pointing out the potential dangers of Detroit/St.Louis/Houston and debating about that. I think it's time people start talking about actions to ensure how this "danger" will be avoided at champs in general, regardless of location there must be some common sense rules in big cities that FIRST teams can follow to stay safe. Instead of debating about the dangers of these cities, lets come to consensus on how we want to tackle the issue instead.(IMO)

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Common sense team options.

My concealed carry permit is valid in both MO & TX but not in MI. Probably not in Toronto either. I not sure if that is the best options anyway. :)

Don't stick your hand in the sand and be oblivious to the dangers of urban areas. Be aware that some urban areas are more dangerous than others. These areas could be a block apart.

Don't be an easy target. Travel in groups outside the venues. Especially at night.

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

I vote Mars....I'm sure collectively, the FIRST community could come up with a way to land humans there....

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Seeing as St. Louis has done a fantastic job of hosting the championship for years, I don't think it'll be a problem. Same thing with Detroit and Houston. While the news may make them sound sketchy, I'm certain that their downtowns are perfectly safe.

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Also, seeing as the largest stadium in the world is in Pyongyang, I think that FIRST should convince North Korea to host the championships. With a stadium capable of holding 150,000 people, space no longer becomes an issue!

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Some suggestions for urban safety from me:

1. Keep your cash/credit cards/ID, passports, travel visas - in separate places on your person. This way if you get held up you reduce the scope. Hand them the cash and call it a loss.

2. If you get held up - give them the cash especially if you are from out of town.

3. Travel in groups and make sure you know who is in the group and keep track.

4. Make sure someone knows where you are at all times.

5. If you have stuff to carry try to make it awkward to grab. Brightly colored bags and large/heavy objects make it harder to snatch it.

6. Keep small high value electronics in sight at all times. It's very easy for a smartphone or bluetooth headset to disappear in the blink of an eye.

7. If you are too tired to pay attention you need to rest someplace safe - this should be obvious to any FIRST team in a competition but if you can't remember to plug in your robot - I bet you won't think ahead of what happens if you sit your phone down while you pick up a plate of food.

8. Avoid beggars. Personally I like to help occasionally: but sometimes they will approach in groups escalating the danger to you or they are actually spotters for other criminal activity. If you must help - plan ahead and keep your donations separate from other items. Such that if they grab it and run off you lost nothing more than you were prepared to.

9. Trailers have great big doors for easily load/unload. Probably smart to put some kind of alarm on those doors.

10. Car thieves will gladly break a car door window. It's easy to approach the door of a car like you own it and when the coast is clear smash and grab. Make items in your car too big to fit through the window or possibly make your car a hard target to casually stroll up to.

11. Keep your passwords in something like Keeper for iPhone/Android. If someone steals your phone hopefully they won't get your passwords.

12. Put a GPS tag on large objects - trailers - cars (LoJack). This way if they vanish you can find them.

13. Lock your doors. Out in the country people don't think of this - in the city it matters.

14. When you park your car look at the ground up and down the block for pieces of car safety glass. It's very easy to spot this in bad neighborhoods you'll see what happened to the last few victims of car theft.

15. Watch out for drug rehab clinics, juvenile halls, shelters or any place people might congregate and be desperate.

16. Avoid excessive shows of wealth.

17. Wear good shoes. Urban cities are usually walkable - be prepared in case you need to run.

18. The firearm you carry can be the weapon that kills you. Always be aware of your proximity to someone dangerous enough to have to use that weapon. If they are close enough they can use it against you.

19. Do not leave valuables unpacked in your hotel/motel. Make them large and hard to hide if they leave when you are not there.

20. Keep your clothes off the floor in hotel/motel. Check the beds for bugs (even in the 5 star places). If the room smells sweetly musky ask for another. Sleep in pajamas both as a precaution in the event of an evacuation and because if there are bugs it is a layer of protection. When you get home put your luggage someplace hot if you can. Also I dust my luggage with diatomaceous earth and leave it on a pan covered with that for a day or 2 if I can. You only need this surprise once and you don't want to take it home with you.

21. Try to travel in well lit areas of high traffic. Dark alleys and areas where bystanders might not see you raise your risk.

22. If you must congregate try to do so in places with video surveillance for yourself and your vehicles. Barring that - try to make sure there are eyes to watch the on goings.

23. If you witness criminal activity report it to the police after you insure your own safety.

24. Do not make a spectacle of reporting something to the police you may put yourself at risk.

25. Make sure you secure the load in any vehicle: it's a safety hazard and it can open your vehicle up to mischief and items getting misplaced.

26. If you are leaving the United States with a vehicle ask your insurance company for the Canadian or Mexican insurance papers.

27. If you are on the road and have an accident - be sure someone knows where you are - and try to bring lightly damaged vehicles to rest in a well lit areas.

28. Tell bank and credit card companies of travel plans, lest they think you are stealing your own cards.

29. Keep a list of emergency numbers somewhere: include travel agents, airlines, airports, hotels/motels, relatives, doctors, train companies and car rental companies.

30. If travel plans change make sure someone not travelling with you knows that.

31. Know what you have packed and if you are leaving the Country be prepared to answer any questions at customs.

32. Do not wear clothes, paint vehicles or decal anything in way that is likely to incite trouble. Locals can have -much- less mercy for people that casually invite trouble.

33. Know the local street parking laws and watch for tricks. For example - in Philadelphia a painted curb indicating no parking might be all it takes to get towed (and they like to tow with generally a nearly $200 bill when you get to your car not including a taxi ride to the 'interesting' end of town).

34. Yellow taxis with medallions are generally the fair rate. Uber and the like might be options but be aware of their current political issues and the risk they don't check their drivers. Private cars that pick you up unsolicited can easily rip you off so be very careful. Be careful how you pay - I like to pay drivers with cash. Swiping your bank card for a cab ride can set you up for a credit card theft.

35. If you have credit of any kind - make them setup verbal passwords on the accounts. Credit and identity theft are a mess to clean up. I've dealt with plenty of small banks that might actually fight you on this.

36. Be aware of how your ATM card will behave when you travel. For example some American debit cards only permit withdrawals in local currency, but won't accept currency deposits at all. This means I leave a signed check and deposit slip at home where a trusted party can deposit or withdraw money for me if things go wrong.

37. Bring a smartphone with suitable service. Make sure you understand the terms of that service. Be prepared for the complexities of cell phone services. For example: in the United States I use T-Mobile for one GSM smartphone but in Canada I swap the SIM for Wind Mobile. I have Canadian and United States service arrangements for both - I swap the SIMs to get more service. I also have a VOIP client on that Android phone so I can use WiFi to make calls if both T-Mobile and Wind fail me (did that a few times in Billy Bishop outside of Toronto where there is free WiFi).

38. Priceline.com is a great tool if you miss your travel arrangement. I've seen a lot of people stranded at airports because someone at the airline can't help them find last minute lodgings. Often times you can book a room on Priceline for whatever has a decent room at the last minute and within 1-2 hours you can show up for that room at a great price. Sure your trip just got a little more expensive, but sleeping at the airport is not as fun as it sounds.

39. Look up occasionally. Especially in places with tall buildings you should consider what happens if someone washing windows drops a tool. In the old days, and in some places still, people throw trash and liquids out windows.

40. Don't walk on manhole covers. It rarely happens but when things go wrong you'd prefer to be a few feet to either side. This is especially true in places like NYC with the World's largest steam system in operation since 1882. (Fun fact the Woolworth Building used to have steam turbines to make electricity from the steam.)

41. Watch for open basement doors and elevators. Walking down the sidewalk not paying attention? See you next trip, enjoy the fall ;).

42. People sometimes drive on sidewalks. Don't assume that you are entirely safe there.

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

...Indianapolis...

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

I wholeheartedly believe that if the GDC said a team could win a gold-trimmed blue banner at championships for getting a robot to the moon, some team would manage to get it done.

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Only the mentor built NASA teams obviously. :rolleyes:

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

You're saying there's no petty crime in downtown Indianapolis?

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

Hawaii.:D

Re: Location of World Championships/safety
 

43 Don't walk around with your nose in a smart phone.