Thursday, May 24, 2001
by Kevin Yee
There are times Disneyland needs to communicate information to all the managers quickly. They way they disseminate information is not through the phones — that would take forever, given how many locations and managers there are — but rather through pagers on a local network. Most of the pagers are voice and data, and important "all calls" (as these park wide info communiquˇs are called) are always given orally, as a way to prioritize the information. However, since managers are frequently onstage, they have to use codes to avoid alarming the guests.
Enter the Code System. They came up with a list of codes that could communicate information without letting eavesdroppers know what is up. The standard codes are on there — 10-20 is a "location" (what's your twenty?) and 10-4 means "acknowledged." There are codes for most situations, such as fights, fires, medical emergencies, and some oddly specific situations. There's even one for a stolen boat! I wonder if that's ever even been used.
The most common codes in use are the Code 1, Code 2, Code 3, Code 90, and the radio codes 10-21, 10-87, and 904. Let's look at them in groups, beginning with the code 1-3. These refer to a medical situation at the Park, usually a Guest's situation but might also mean a Cast Member. A Code 1 refers to a routine situation, where there is no need for undue attention or undue haste. A security guard and a nurse are dispatched from First Aid with a wheelchair, and the only managers who need to respond to the area are the ones who are located nearby. Any call into First Aid that involves a guest requesting assistance will always lead to at least a Code 1 situation, and it's announced park wide on all the pagers. The idea is that everyone is informed this way, at least.
Disneyland's Central First Aid, from which nurses and security guards are dispatched in the event of a medical emergency.
Here's how it works. If a guest approaches a Cast Member with an issue, the location's Working Lead is contacted. She or he will find out if the Guest would like medical attention or a consultation with the onsite Registered Nurse. If the guest answers in the affirmative, the Lead contacts either Central Communications (basically a large radio center in one corner of the Security office; it's also the keeper of the walkie talkies and pagers) or First Aid (there are two phone numbers to use, one for routine requests and injuries, and one for emergencies). Someone at Communications then decides on the urgency of the situation, and issues a Code 1 to all pagers if the situation is not urgent. Code 1's are headaches, pains, scrapes, and the like.
A Code 2 is a big step forward in terms of urgency. These occur far less frequently and involve serious bodily injury, such as a broken bone or multiple injuries. Typically, a Code 2 will involve a definite need for a wheelchair, and possibly a need for moving the Guest backstage in preparation for evacuation or the arrival of emergency professionals, but a Code 2 does not allow for paramedics or ambulances to go onstage — the Disney illusion is still held intact. Nevertheless, a Code 2 announcement on pagers will bring managers from all over, arriving quickly but decorously to help with moving injured, doing crowd control, or otherwise helping.
A Code 3 is an outright emergency. Managers come RUNNING to the location reported on their pagers, and emergency personnel are authorized to come onstage. The bottom line is that a Code 3 means that someone's life is in danger, and the Disney Show will be suspended. The most common type of Code 3 is one resulting from a heart attack.
The medical codes can be upgraded of course. I've seen Code 1's turn into Code 2's, which just indicates that someone on the spot has determined the situation is more serious than originally thought. Not all codes are medical codes, though. A Code-90, also announced by Communications to all pagers, lets the managers know that the weather has crossed the 90 degrees Fahrenheit threshold. This is important because many costumes allow for hot weather modifications, such as the removal of neckties or the unbuttoning of the collar. In short, standards are relaxed when it gets that hot.
Disneyland cast members doing crowd control during the recent tree falling incident.
More common, and more routine, are pagers for specific people. If you want to reach a manager or assistant manager who is not at her desk, you just page them. You get an automated system, and you will usually then leave a voice message which will be relayed intact to them. Since they are onstage, you tend use codes for these things too. Instead of saying "Meet me at the Blue Bayou" you'd instead say "10-87 Kevin at the Bayou", or perhaps substitute "Location 651" for the restaurant name. This way no one knows what you're saying. Or if you want them call you, you say "Please 10-21 Kevin at 5574." If you're a Lead reporting a mild Guest injury, you might combine the codes: "Please 10-87 Kevin at Cafˇ, Code 1" even though technically you should call First Aid before calling the supervisor.
One of the biggest deals is a fire. A maintenance worker in the SuperSpeed tunnel of the PeopleMover track noticed smoke one day in the mid-90s, and his call via walkie talkie got everyone's attention right away: "Sound-10 to base. Emergency! 904 in the Skyway building!" Yes, a "904" means a fire. I always remembered it as a perversion of that cleaner, Formula 409. Well, most of Tomorrowland was closed for the day during that fire, though the damage was superficial and largely contained.
I had occasion to report a fire myself once. Attached to the Cafˇ Orleans is a counter-service window, La Petite Patisserie. Inside "Pastry Window" (as we called it) were some Hatco warmers we used to keep food hot, and while walking by I noticed that one of these was beginning to emit some smoke from the top, where its wiring is. As I watched, the smoke intensified quickly.
The extremely narrow Pastry Window work space made for a tense spot for a fire. The Hatco warmer which burned was at the far left end of the picture. Notice the wood paneling along the ceiling.
Blood racing — I live for these moments, working on instinct alone — I raced to the phone and called the emergency line for Central Communications. That was picked up right away, unlike the normal Communications line, which might put you on hold for a while.
"Communications-Emergency" came the terse answer.
"I've got an electrical 904 here at Cafˇ Orleans," I said.
"Evaluate and evacuate as necessary" was his quick response. "Help is on the way." Click.
By now the smoke was billowing out of the machine and collecting on the ceiling. I was concerned about the smoke but also about the wood just above the Hatco warmer and all throughout the ceiling. So far no flames, but if flames should begin, this conflagration would be quick indeed. So quick decisions were needed.
In rapid fire, I issued the following commands: Everyone, stop serving food. Bridgett, grab my Ops Sheet (with all the CM names and shifts on it, this is useful in case we evacuate and need to account for everyone). Ben, call the supervisors downstairs and let them know. Maggie, get all the other CMs out of the various nooks and crannies and assemble everyone out by the cashiers. Colleen, head out front to the guests and tell them we will need to evacuate immediately. Those along the trayslide need to leave immediately. They are welcome to the food they already have, our compliments. Sara, go lock the front door. Sean, call Club 33 (whose floor is actually our ceiling) and let them know what's going on, find out if they have any smoke or flames. Asmar, call the elevator and put it on emergency stop here so no one uses it.
And so on. In short, we evacuated the place in about two minutes. The smoke was very thick by now and an actual safety concern. Before those two minutes were up, however, the truly amazing things happened that I hadn't expected: supervisors from around the Park started RUNNING in all the doors. I mean, sprinting. We considered using an ABC chemical fire extinguisher on it, but figured that was not necessary yet and may complicate matters. The warmer had long ago been unplugged. A couple short minutes later, the Disneyland fire crew arrived and they did use the extinguisher (they told me later I shouldn't have been timid about it, that's what extinguishers were for).
After all the smoke and extinguisher cloud dissipated, we figured out the problem: a wire inside the warmer's circuitry had worked itself free of insulation and was burning the packing foam inside. That's it! All that smoke for no real flames. It made for some excitement though.
Not every park wide communication happens over pager or with the benefit of a radio code. A bomb scare, for example, would result in a bit of a panic if folks started rushing over to one threatened area and frantically comb the bushes. So instead Communications calls the managers in question, who usually inform the Working Leads to surreptitiously search the area and watch for anything suspicious. This happened to me once. I was a bit incredulous that this was the only action taken when there is a bomb threat, but apparently it's the only logistically possible one, since Disneyland receives so many of them. Often they are specific — "the Matterhorn will be blown up at midnight!" for example — but if not then a low level search is all that's done.
Disneyland has yet to experience an act of terrorism. According to news reports, it may have almost happened at the Millennial celebrations at the end of 1999. Thankfully the suspect (with alleged bin Laden connections) was stopped in Canada. The news stories mentioned that celebrations in Seattle and at Disneyland were to be on his list of targets. Personally, I'll the take less dramatic excitement of a Code-1 any day, thank you very much!
Next up: More from the Cast Member point of view
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Are you a CM or a former CM? I would love to hear and share your stories! E-mail me! Stories and comments you submit become property of and may be published on this site; we normally don't publish last names of current CMs, but if you wish to remain anonymous altogether or do not want me to share your stories, please let me know when you e-mail me. — Shoshana NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in reader-contributed stories do not reflect those of Cast Place or MousePlanet. CM – Cast member; company lingo for “employee.” Empowerment Evolution – The 1995 attempt by newer park management to introduce modern accountability and market forces into the stodgy Disneyland methodology and power hierarchies. The name was meant to “empower” rank and file employees by removing layers of their management, though now there are more managers than ever. TPO – Theme Park Operations; the division of the Disneyland hierarchy that actually works in the theme park itself. TDA – Team Disney Anaheim; the name of the on-site administration building. Area manager – used to be responsible for an entire land, with all business divisions in the area reporting to him. Area supervisor – the immediate boss for location supervisors who divide up a department of intelligently grouped locations. The area supervisors in turn reported to the area manager. Nowadays all supervisors and area supervisors have been replaced by managers and assistant managers — the same idea, but smaller “business units" than a department; usually just one location in fact. RFT – “A” status; a full-time hourly employee. RPT – “B” status; an hourly employee five days a week but just not quite 40 hours usually. CR – “C” status; an hourly employee who works weekends year-round and five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). CT – a part-time hourly employee who works five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). No seniority, so shifts worked are usually quite short. Locate the employment center to fill out an application, and they will call you for an interview (dress nicely, just shy of an actual suit). Once there, follow these rules, in this order of importance: 1. Smile and be very friendly. They want outgoing people.
2. Do not let the group interview throw you off balance. They want outgoing people who can “perform” a little bit.
3. Do not worry about job (in)experience. They don't care. They want friendly people, not experienced and/or hardened people.
4. Do your best to convince them you already have a Disney attitude: you want to work with people, you're a team player, and you would consider this a dream job (however, don't overdo it on the crazy-Disney-fan side either). Strike a nice balance.
5. Did I mention the importance of a smile? 
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