Referee Duties

1. Referees carry a list of equipment on them to assist other players should they have trouble with their equipment. Referees carry cleaning rods to help other athletes paint stock in their barrels. Referees also carry 2 way radios to communicate with other referees on field events.
2. Referees must maintain a consistent line of communication with each other so that everyone is kept appraised of game events. Maintaining a high level of communication puts the ref in better position to see potential elimination shots and key players from straying outside the rules. Referees work together to inform the head referee that one team is close to achieving an objective. Recreational paintball games and scenario games are often played on very large fields where the referees can only be so many places at once. With excellent communication, referees can rotate into areas where the most important game action is or where an objective is about to be completed.
3. In addition to making sure everyone follows the rules in game action, the referees are also responsible for assisting game players with equipment problems. Equipment maintenance may include providing the player with cleaning rods were squeegees for paint in pain and barrels, or with markers that have another fire and problems. Referees also assist with storing, cleaning, and returning equipment. This may involve markers and Co2 tanks owned by the player, or rental equipment from the field owner. Most often the maintenance of equipment will involve rental guns and gear purchased at the local field. If there is a failure of the rental equipment, the damaged parts are set aside and labeled, and the player will be provided with new gear. If a player makes a call to a referee of an equipment failure, the referee will assess the gear and try to fix it on the field. If he can't make the fix on the field, he will send the player back to the rental department for a new marker.
4. In addition to policing the field and assisting with paintball gear maintenance, referee duties also include being an educator of the game. A referee must spend time with newbies in need to explain how the rental equipment operates, and how to keep it working at a high level. Fields referees will talk to all the players before the game and explain all the pertinent field rules.
5. Referees will brief players of all the important fields' rules and safety precautions prior to the start of the match. Referees will monitor the game to ensure that all players follow the vital safety precautions, when they are to put their barrel plugs in, and when to stop shooting at a player. These rules are followed in fields like The Paintball Shack in Chandler, Texas.