Charles River Wheelers

CRW Event Crew Tips

Thank you for helping support a CRW event. Event crew volunteers help riders feel safer, better informed, and less alone when something goes wrong.

Text CREW Text CREW TIPS Emergency: Call 911

CRW SMS Number

Text: 573-CRW-CREW
Numeric: (573) 279-2739

Texting this number establishes the event chat line for the ride or event.

Crew Support Is Event-Specific

Crew support is event-specific. When you join a crew-supported event by texting CREW, you are joining the support list for that event only.

Use CRW SMS support for ride coordination, rider questions, mechanical issues, route confusion, pickup coordination, and non-emergency help.

The Most Important Rule

If there is an emergency, call 911 first.

Do not use CRW SMS support as a substitute for emergency services. If there is injury, danger, or uncertainty, tell the rider to call 911 now.

How To Join Event Crew

Join

Text the CRW SMS number:

CREW

Text CREW

Confirm

If an event is open for crew support, confirm with:

YES CREW

Text YES CREW

Leave

To leave the event crew list, text:

LEAVE CREW

Text LEAVE CREW

If your phone does not pre-fill the message, manually text the command to (573) 279-2739.

What Event Crew Does

Event crew may help with:

Answering rider questions during the event
Helping riders who are lost or off-route
Coordinating mechanical help or pickup
Relaying information to the ride organizer
Watching for weather, road, or safety issues
Helping close the loop when a rider reports a problem

You are not expected to solve everything yourself.
Your job is to respond calmly, gather useful information, and escalate when needed.

When A Rider Needs Help

Ask For The Basics

Where are you? Are you safe and off the road? What happened? Are you alone or with other riders? Do you need emergency help?

Good First Response

Thanks. Are you safely off the road? Please send your location or nearest cross street. If this is urgent or medical, call 911 now.

If Someone Reports A Crash Or Injury

Tell them to call 911 if there is any injury, danger, or uncertainty.
Ask whether they are safely off the road.
Ask for their location.
Alert the ride organizer or event lead.
Stay with the conversation until someone confirms next steps.

Do not give medical advice.

Lost Riders & Mechanicals

If Someone Is Lost

Ask for:

Current location or nearest cross street
Whether they are safe
Whether they are riding, stopped, or walking
Whether they want directions, pickup, or leader contact

Keep instructions simple. Send one clear next action at a time.

If Someone Has A Mechanical

Ask:

What broke
Whether they are safely off the road
Whether they can continue
Whether they need pickup
Whether another rider is with them

If the rider is in an unsafe location, the first goal is to get them safely off the road.

Communication Style

Good crew messages are:

Calm
Brief
Specific
Kind
Action-oriented

Avoid long explanations. Riders may be stressed, cold, tired, or on the side of the road.

Privacy

Only use rider information to support the event. Do not share phone numbers, locations, or incident details outside the event support context unless safety requires it.

Closing The Loop

Simple Closeout

Are you all set now?

Confirm Next Step

Who is with you now, and what is the next step?

A support issue is not really closed until the rider is safe, connected with help, or has clearly said they no longer need assistance.

Quick Reference

Need	Command / Action
Join event crew	CREW
Confirm crew signup	YES CREW
Leave event crew	LEAVE CREW
Open crew tips	CREW TIPS
CRW SMS number	573-CRW-CREW / (573) 279-2739
Ride safety page	crw.org/safety
Emergency	Call 911

Helpful CRW Links

Ride Safety Page Rider Guidelines Policies & Guidelines Contact CRW Code of Conduct: conduct@crw.org VP of Rides: ridesvp@crw.org

This page is a field guide for event crew volunteers. Official CRW policies and emergency services remain controlling.