In these parts, verbalizing "help" is expected. I once got reprimanded by a supervisor for not saying it loud enough so that everyone was aware I needed help.

If I'm asking for help, please don't give me an "I don't know" shrug.

Per the NFHS officials manual ... 2.3.2. D. 3 (Two person)
When the ball goes out of bounds and the responsible official needs help, he/she should look in the direction of the other official. That official should be prepared to give assistance. If the responsible official asks for assistance, the other official should verbally and visually signal the appropriate call - the officials do not need to confer in this situation.

(Three person) 3.3.2. D. 4

When the ball goes out of bounds and the responsible official needs help, he/she should look in the direction of the nearer official or the official sharing that area of responsibility. That nearby official should be prepared to give assistance. If the responsible official asks for assistance, the nearby official should verbally and visually signal the appropriate call - the officials do not need to confer in this situation. On the other hand, if a non-responsible official has information regarding the out-of-bounds call, he/she may quickly approach the calling official to share the information and then leave the call to the responsible official.

Related
 

If you are the one being asked for help, do you only verbalize and point?

As soon as I'm asked, I crack the whistle, then verbalize and point. Basically I'm taking the call once asked by my partner to take the call.

Anyone else?

It's not your call -- it's still your partner's call.

And, the ball is already dead and you're not reversing anything, so there's no need for a whistle.

So, just point and verbalize the color. The partner should then mimic that.

So in cases where you are reversing something, you do crack your whistle?

In cases where I'm offering information, such as RA assistance, I don't crack whistle, I just come in and offer information. I let the calling official do all the work.

In cases where I have definite knowledge that someone else tipped the ball before it went OOB, I also don't crack whistle, I just run in and give information and let my partner either reverse or not.

However, the above mentioned play is the only time I do this.

That's interesting. Maybe I'm doing it backwards :confused:

That's how I do it. Sometimes with, sometimes without the whistle.

When I get information from my partners, and I am reversing my own call, I do hit my whistle.

If I'm reversing my own call (based on input from other officials), then, yes, I blow my whistle.

I recognize that what I typed before was confusing.

Works well most of the time, but I've seen what looked like a silent ask for help that turned into a mess. The off official saw the partner pause and look at them (or so they thought) and gave a signal just as the responsible official gave a signal....an opposite direction. The calling official was just "processing" the play before making the decision....a little slow...and the other official took that as an ask for help.

Which is why I prefer a verbal "help".

I guess it depends on how you are taught. Around here everyone seems to know that if you have not signaled and looking toward your partner, you are asking for help. And verbally not everyone can hear you either.

Peace

Here you hit you whistle and look at your partner. They then give you a discrete point one way or the other by using their index finger right in front of their midsection. Calling official then signals. Usually there is so little delay no one even knows you asked for help.

If a partner looks to me for help either verbally or non if I have definite knowledge I blow my whistle and point as if it was my call all along.

I think everyone in our area went to this camp. Everytime, I see an official look for help on an out-of-bounds play, the other official always sees it and gives him a direction. It's uncanny. I haven't seen an alternating possession in this situation in years. Sometimes, I want to argue with the partner that "there's no way you saw that clearly", but they do such a darn good job selling it with authority. Darn!