The Downtown Phoenix Partnership’s Phoenix Ambassadors may be best known for their bright orange shirts that encourage passers-by to “Ask Me!” questions, but the ambassadors also serve the community as security and emergency responders.
“Not very many people know about us,” ambassador Chuck Padilla said. “We wish more ASU Downtown students knew the types of services we provide.”
Phoenix Ambassadors patrol the 90-square block area between Third Avenue and Seventh Street, from Fillmore Street to the railroad tracks south of Jackson Street. DPP uses the ambassadors to accomplish its goal of hospitality and security for the downtown area, according to its website.
The ambassadors’ purpose is not only to give passers-by tips on what to do in the area and enforce public safety. DPP also employs two special ambassadors known as first responders.
The first responders are dressed similarly to the other ambassadors, but they ride bicycles so they can get around quickly if needed.
“Basically, a first responder is just another layer of security,” said Dewayne Rodriguez, one of the two first responders. “We deal with situations that aren’t emergencies but do need a higher presence to take some control.”
Rodriguez worked as an ambassador for 10 years before he became a first responder.
First responders are trained in crisis intervention, Rodriguez said. They deal with disturbances and act as escorts more often than regular ambassadors do.
The first responders have built relationships with the Phoenix Police Department and ASU security.
“We don’t work together, exactly, but we are aware of each other, and we help each other out,” Rodriguez said.
First responders occasionally even help people who have locked their keys in their car. Many residents don’t realize they can call upon first responders in that situation, Rodriguez said.
The first responders, much like the ambassadors, are simply there to help, Padilla said.
“We call on them if there is a situation of safety,” he said. “The first responder will analyze the situation and can usually take care of it but calls authorities when needed.”
As a whole, the ambassadors have a community-service mentality. They coordinate an outreach program to help the homeless population in downtown.
“We are on a first-name basis with a lot of the homeless folks in downtown,” Padilla said. “We even have files on most of them with contact numbers, if they have a social worker or even what types of medication they are on.”
Ambassadors can also assist students in adjusting to the local culture.
“I’m from California, so when I first came to Phoenix, I was overwhelmed with the fact that I had to learn where everything was in a new city,” said exercise and wellness sophomore Chudi Ikobi. “I asked an ambassador for help one day. She told me about all the underground coffee shops in the area.”
Contact the reporter at vcohen1@asu.edu
