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Draft Guidance for

Mid Atlantic Region Regional Access/Assist Team (MAR RAT)

Definition

Mid Atlantic Region Regional Access/Assist Team (MAR RAT) is special role that grants (extends) editing permissions to the entire Mid Atlantic Region; essentially an Area Manager for the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Eligibility

Editors eligible for receiving MAR RAT shall meet the following criteria:

  1. State Manager of MAR State for min of 3 months
  2. Rank 5 editor
  3. Good communication and leadership skills
  4. Forum and Editing accounts show active activity
  5. Regional Coordinator (RC)/Assistant Regional Coordinator (ARC) permission

Background

MAR RAT was created for two primary reasons: to provide assistance during high editing periods (weather or event driven) and limited State Manager availability (vacation, work, family events, etc.). Additionally it will unofficially provide training for MAR SMs to develop skills and experience that could help them prepare for CM/LC/RC/GC positions.

Approval Authority

Granting MAR RAT is a Regional Coordinator role. So RC/ARC have the sole decision to grant (or if necessary rescind) MAR RAT. State Manager/Country Manager opinions and suggestions may be considered in the RC decision, but there is not a SM/CM vote.

Discussion of MAR RAT Role

Many MAR SMs already have editing area in adjacent states and regions due to driving the area or Area Manager/Country Manager responsibilities. Having MAR RAT is similar to those privileges. MAR RAT is just editing privileges and the applicable State Manager(s) set the appropriate policies that the other editors (including CMs and MAR RAT) follow. MAR RAT is not permission to export your state's policy into a neighboring state with a different policy. Therefore MAR RAT implicitly implies that one must read and be familiar with the applicable editing guidelines prior to jumping in on a problem. If there is confusion as to how to follow guidance then the MAR RAT editor should defer to the applicable SM(s).

MAR RAT will give our team greater flexibility to respond to severe weather and man-made events (think snow storms, hurricanes, fires, traffic accidents, or terrorist events) by enlarging the pool of local MAR editors available to help. Not all events that need a MAR RAT are necessarily bad, since a reporter or editor might submit a last minute parade or festival that needs road closures in a short period of time. We can get editing areas assigned to our editors if required but that takes a little bit of time and is currently based on the Waze staff's weekday working hours. Holidays, maintenance problems, or improper entry of the editing permissions can delay the assistance; MAR RAT will alleviate those problems for our senior editors.