VSF 14.01.03: BEECN District Coordinator

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A Volunteer Support Function (VSF) is a functional area under which volunteers carry out their responsibilities. Each VSF is broken into position assignments. VSF 14.01.03 is the position assigned to district level BEECN volunteer coordinators.


Summary

BEECN volunteers operate in organized cohorts, perform regular equipment checks, participate in drills, and deploy communication nodes (BEECNs) 24–48 hours after a major earthquake. Each BEECN District Coordinator is responsible for one of Portland's four geographic districts. In collaboration with PBEM staff and BEECN volunteers, the District Coordinator provides support and oversight to help maintain volunteer engagement and operational readiness at BEECN sites. This position acts as a liaison between BEECN Coordinators and PBEM's BEECN program manager, promoting consistent communication, logistical support, and alignment with BEECN program goals. This is a Blue Skies volunteer position; the position does not carry into response.

BEECN Volunteers are the only PBEM volunteers who can be a NET volunteer or an ATV but are indemnified by the City of Portland either way.

Blue Skies/Grey Skies Summary
During Blue Skies, these volunteers... During Grey Skies, these volunteers...
...stay in regular contact with all the other BEECN Coordinators in their district and organize them to participate in BEECN exercises and inventories. They help keep caches adequately supplied, and monitor the BEECN readiness score for their district. ...have no designated responsibilities in this position.

Responsibilities

  • Use contact information provided by PBEM to check in with district BEECN Coordinators and receive any feedback that should be relayed to PBEM.
  • Ensure all BEECN Coordinators complete a BEECN Response Framework and keep it up to date.
  • Follow up with BEECN Coordinators when their BEECN readiness score goes to 0%.
  • Store BEECN supplies at their residence to use for replenishing or pick up needed cache supplies from PBEM.
  • Keep a record of what supplies were placed in which caches, and transmit that record to PBEM.
  • Encourage BEECN volunteers to participate in regular exercises.
  • Represent PBEM professionally.
  • Log all volunteer hours (your own; not your team's).
Position ID ※ VSF 14.01.03: BEECN Coordinator
Mission Area ※ Preparedness Response Recovery
Lead Agency ※ Portland Bureau of Emergency Management
Active NET Required? ※ No; this position is available to ATVs.
Structure ※ During Blue Skies, BEECN Coordinators report to the BEECN District Coordinator in charge of their district. BEECN District Coordinators relay questions and concerns to PBEM staff, preferably via BEECN@portlandoregon.gov.
Relevant Knowledge, Skills, Abilities ※ Ability to monitor and coordinate the activities of several small groups. Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Licenses and Certifications ※ Drivers license is recommended to transport supplies as needed.
Currency ※ Because all BEECN volunteers are indemnified, they are required to log their hours but not required to meet the Minimum Service Contribution (MRC) unless they are also a NET volunteer.

BEECN Volunteers are required to complete a criminal background check at the same frequency as NET volunteers.

Physical Requirements ※ None.
Task Book ※ None at this time.
PPE and Recommended Equipment ※ PPE: As this is a Blue Skies position, no PPE is needed.

Equipment: Not equipment exactly, but a BEECN District Coordinator should have the cache access information of each cache in their district and should keep that information secure.

Forms ※ None.
Updated ※ 2025.03.29 (version 1.0)
Released ※ 2025.03.29

Training for VSF 14.01.03: BEECN Coordinator

Important note: ONLY the trainings listed as REQUIRED are required! Optional training and supplemental resources are presented as a path for a volunteer to increase their knowledge and confidence carrying out their volunteer responsibilities. However, no volunteer's Active status depends on completing training marked as "Optional" or "Supplemental". For more information, please visit the article on Position Descriptions: Training Section.

Training or Resource Type Delivery Duration Learning Objective
Basic BEECN Training Required Online 1.5 hours Summarizes BEECN Guidelines and prepares a new volunteer for working with their BEECN cohort. This training is important for a district coordinator so they can anticipate the needs and expectations of BEECN volunteers.
Hours Logging Training Required Online 1 minute For BEECN volunteers to learn how to log their service hours in their MyImpact profile.
BEECN Journaling System and Dashboard Required Online N/A The District Coordinator should have a complete understanding of how the journaling system and scoring index works. This will help them make strategic decisions on improving the BEECN Readiness Score for their district.
BEECN Volunteer Position Descriptions Required Online N/A District Coordinators should review the position descriptions for the other BEECN volunteers in order to anticipate needs.
IS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System Optional Online 2.0 hours Course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of the Incident Command System. Knowing the basics of ICS can give BEECN volunteers context to the City's overall response effort.
IS-242: Effective Communication Optional Online 8.0 hours This course covers basic communication skills, how to communicate in an emergency, how to identify community-specific communication issues, using technology as a communication tool, and effective oral communication. Not every sub-topic in this course is relevant to the responsibilities of a BEECN volunteer.
IS-2901: Introduction to Community Lifelines Optional Online 1.0 hours Introduces the FEMA Community Lifelines construct, an outcome-driven response structure used to achieve incident stabilization. PBEM uses Community Lifelines, and knowing them will help BEECN volunteers communicate more effectively with the EOC.
Basic NET or CERT (certification) Optional In-person 24 hours Basic NET/CERT training provides more and varied disaster response skills and situational awareness to BEECN volunteers.
NET Leadership Curricula Supplemental Online Supplemental leadership curricula for leading volunteers.
Portland Basic Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) Supplemental Online N/A The BEOP is the framework that governs how the City of Portland responds in the aftermath of a major disaster. Being familiar with it can provide BEECN volunteers with heightened situational awareness.
BEECN Guidelines Supplemental Online N/A The BEECN Guidelines is the "blueprint" for the BEECN program and covers the nuances of program policies. A regular BEECN volunteer doesn't need to know the Guidelines to carry out their responsibilities, but reviewing them will enhance knowledge and provide a more complete picture of the program.
BEECN on Tumblr Supplemental Online N/A Media articles tagged as relevant to BEECN volunteer responsibilities.
BEECN video content Supplemental Online N/A Video content relevant to BEECN volunteer responsibilities.
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