The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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12 • LMGI COMPASS | Spring 2020 March is American Red Cross Month, a good time to share how I love being a volunteer and what a natural fi t it is for a location manager. These days I take more time off between shows, and I spend a good deal of that time volunteering at the Red Cross. As a location manager, I'm completely in my element—I'm great with logistics, chaos, helping people, and the timing is fl exible. I'd always wanted to volunteer during disasters. After the California Woolsey wildfi re in 2018, I trained to be a disaster volunteer with Red Cross so I could help the next time. The training was easy—a couple days in the classroom and some online courses. I also took Red Cross courses at the LA Federation of Labor, responding to a Teamsters Local 399 email about forming a Labor Disaster Response Team, of which I'm also now a member. The American Red Cross is a neutral organization, neither religious nor political, its symbol taken from the Swiss fl ag. It's part of a global humanitarian network with sister Red Cross/Crescent societies in 192 countries and all Red Cross services are free. LMGI members around the world can get involved in their own regions. As a volunteer with ARC Disaster Cycle Services, I assisted at the Los Angeles Saddleridge Fire evacuation shelter in Chatsworth (immediately seeing they needed directional signs). Now I'm ready to jump in to help at the next wildfi re, fl ood, earthquake or civil disaster that comes along—here in Los Angeles, or anywhere in the country. There are dozens of Red Cross volunteer positions for which location professionals are a great fi t. I sign up regularly for on-call Disaster Action Team shifts. If there's a residential fi re in my territory, I assist displaced residents on site with food and shelter, while dealing with building managers, building owners, the fi re department, power companies, building inspectors and contractors. ARC caseworkers follow up to help them get back on their feet. There is a great need in the Los Angeles region for Mass Care Shelter Readiness volunteers to conduct two- hour surveys of potential ARC evacuation centers and shelter facilities for the National Shelter System Database. Much like location scouting, surveyors inspect facilities and create detailed reports with availability and capacity of different areas and suggestions of which areas might be utilized as dorm rooms, for feeding, for people with pets, etc. Restoring Family Links works with the local, national and international Red Cross networks online and in the fi eld on a grassroots level to help reconnect families who've lost contact due to armed confl ict, disasters and migration. And of course, the Red Cross always needs Blood Donations. If you'd rather work with animals, did you know you can 'foster' a dog or cat at an L.A. Animal Services animal shelter just for an afternoon or overnight? Take them out for a ride and/or walk to give them some stress relief, a change of scene and some socialization. They'd love to spend the day scouting with you and you'd both benefi t! https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=213VDW8pPdo It's easy to be overwhelmed by everything wrong in the world, or by the pressures of location managing, but taking some time to volunteer, getting out of your own head and making a direct physical difference in the lives of real people—or animals—feels great, and is good for your mind and body, and the world. If you have any questions about getting involved, shoot me an email via Compass @locationmanagers.org. I'm happy to try to answer them or direct you to the right person. Giving Back— Our Adaptable Skill Set Photo courtesy of Kristin Dewey/LMGI by Kristin Dewey We Remember Sarah Jones February 20 marks the anniversary of the untimely death of Sarah Jones, a vibrant 27-year-old camera assistant. In 2014, her young life came to a sobering end when a director put his crew onto a live railroad trestle, trespassing to steal a scene. Midnight Rider, the ill-fated Gregg Allman biopic, grinded to a tragic halt, leaving a trail of anger and grief in its wake. The incident led to an industrywide reckoning on standards of safety. Contract Services, which enforces the collective bargaining agreements of the US West Coast studio local unions, sees safety training as its most critical mission. Their training is second to none in breadth, relevance and quality. By helping studios maintain their strong safety record, Contract Services helps save lives. As such, they have revised Safety Bulletin #28 Guidelines for Railroad Safety in the aftermath of the Sarah Jones tragedy. Please go to our website to review the bulletin. LMGI President Mike Fantasia urges you to stay informed and safe out there. He remarked, "More than ever, as location managers, we must be vigilant in working with the assistant directors, production managers and producers to ensure a secure job site. Please take a minute to review these guidelines and help keep our crews safe in the workplace." Safety doesn't happen by accident. Never forget Sarah Jones.