PBEM Volunteer Program Organization

The purpose of this article is to establish the structure of PBEM's volunteer programs, the responsibilities PBEM has to volunteers, and rules governing how volunteer teams are structured during "blue sky" periods (as opposed to operational/response periods). ...

Volunteers and PBEM

1. The Portland NET program is sited in, supervised and managed by PBEM (City Code 3.124.080) with participation from Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R).
2. Other PBEM volunteer programs or PBEM programs where PBEM recruits/trains/manages volunteers, such as BEECN, CRDs, or COAD, are extensions of the Portland NET program and operate under Portland NET's mandate and guidelines regardless if volunteers in those programs deploy and operate independently of an organized Neighborhood Emergency Team.
3. Unless deployed to an emergency as described in Section 400: Volunteer Operations, the PBEM Bureau Director has discretionary authority over NET activities unless otherwise indicated in specific PBEM Volunteer guidelines.
4. PBEM has sole authority to determine PBEM volunteer membership.
5. When deployed, NETs and individual PBEM volunteers will defer to the chain of command present at a given incident.
6. The PBEM Bureau Director may delegate responsibilities for PBEM volunteer programming to a designee (in most cases, the Community Preparedness Team Manager or a PBEM Duty Officer).
7. All routine communications regarding volunteer business between volunteers and PBEM will be directed to staff with the PBEM Community Preparedness Team.

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Volunteer Role of PBEM Volunteers

Active Neighborhood Emergency Team volunteers and BEECN volunteers are both types of NET Member; "NET Member" is a term that encompasses both.

1. NET Members are unpaid volunteers with the City of Portland and any responsibilities undertaken as a NET Member are voluntary. Members are not employees of PBEM or any other city bureau while acting as a NET Member.
2. Any time a NET Member engages in authorized NET activities, that Member is a representative of the City of Portland and will comport him or herself in a manner consistent with the NET Guidelines and the PBEM Volunteer Code of Conduct.

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Responsibilities of PBEM to PBEM Volunteers

TBA

Policy: PBEM Devolves Management of Volunteer Teams to Communities

PBEM volunteers often come into contact with vulnerable populations during a deployment, and volunteers have access to government-owned equipment and sensitive information. Therefore, PBEM requires all registered volunteers (NET, BEECN, and ATV) to undertake a criminal background check. The criminal background check is conducted at PBEM's expense, and completed every three years.

The background check is only on a volunteer's criminal record. PBEM conducts no credit history or credit background check.

Effective date	July 1, 1995
Last revised
Policy owner	PBEM Community Preparedness Team
Author(s)	Rachael Jacky (PBEM); Jeremy Van Keuren (PBEM).

Forms

None.

Responsibilities

Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM)

PBEM volunteers and prospective volunteers ("trainees")

Definitions

Term	Definition

Related Information

None.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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