BEECN Volunteers: Difference between revisions

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|[[VSF 14.01.03: BEECN District Coordinator]]
|[[VSF 14.01.03: BEECN District Coordinator]]
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|[[VSF 02.02: Fire Station HAM]]
|[[VSF 02.02: Fire Station ARO]]
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|[[VSF 14.01.04: Fire Station UHF Volunteer]]
|[[VSF 14.01.04: Fire Station UHF Volunteer]]
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# BEECN volunteers are unpaid volunteers with the City of Portland and any responsibilities undertaken as a BEECN volunteer are voluntary. Volunteers are not employees of PBEM or any other city bureau while acting as a BEECN volunteer.
# BEECN volunteers are unpaid volunteers with the City of Portland and any responsibilities undertaken as a BEECN volunteer are voluntary. Volunteers are not employees of PBEM or any other city bureau while acting as a BEECN volunteer.
# Any time a BEECN volunteer engages in authorized BEECN activities, that member is a representative of the City of Portland and will comport themselves in a manner consistent with these BEECN Guidelines and [[PBEM Volunteer Code of Conduct]].
# Any time a BEECN volunteer engages in authorized BEECN activities, that member is a representative of the City of Portland and will comport themselves in a manner consistent with these BEECN Guidelines and [[PBEM Volunteer Code of Conduct]].
=== Indemnification of BEECN Volunteers ===
BEECN and Fire Station volunteers are indemnified under the same policies as all PBEM volunteers. Please view the page on [[Volunteer Risk, Injury Coverage, and Indemnification|Volunteer Indemnification]] for more information.


=== Persons with Disabilities ===
=== Persons with Disabilities ===
Everyone has a part in emergency preparedness and response, and any volunteer interested in the BEECN program will not be discouraged or denied on the basis of any physical or cognitive disability. In order to ensure equal access to volunteer programs, PBEM will reasonably modify policies and procedures and provide auxiliary aids and services to persons with disabilities.
Everyone has a part in emergency preparedness and response, and any volunteer interested in the BEECN program will not be discouraged or denied on the basis of any physical or cognitive disability. In order to ensure equal access to volunteer programs, PBEM will reasonably modify policies and procedures and provide auxiliary aids and services to persons with disabilities.
=== BEECN Volunteers and Portland Neighborhood Emergency Teams ===
# BEECN volunteers and NETs operate independent of each other’s authority and are not under each other’s chain of command.
# PBEM encourages BEECN cohorts to meet with regularly with their local NETs, and to be familiar with their [[Earthquake Response Frameworks]].
# One person may be both a NET and BEECN volunteer. NETs respond immediately following a major disaster, while BEECN volunteers operate 24 to 48 hours following an earthquake. Therefore, a volunteer can plausibly be part of both programs, and PBEM encourages volunteer participation in both.


=== BEECN Volunteer Qualifications ===
=== BEECN Volunteer Qualifications ===
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# Encourage BEECN volunteers to participate in regular exercises.
# Encourage BEECN volunteers to participate in regular exercises.
# Ensuring that the team responsibilities described in [[BEECN Volunteers#BEECN Team Responsibilities|BEECN Team Responsibilities]] are carried out.
# Ensuring that the team responsibilities described in [[BEECN Volunteers#BEECN Team Responsibilities|BEECN Team Responsibilities]] are carried out.
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== Fire Station Volunteer Teams ==
== Fire Station Volunteer Teams ==
A fire station volunteer is a specialized [[VSF 02.02: Fire Station HAM|Amateur Radio Operator (ARO)]], '''''or''''' a [[VSF 14.01.04: Fire Station UHF Volunteer|non-licensed volunteer]] partnering with the ARO. Fire station volunteers also form a cohort of four (minimum) for each fire station. Each shift requires one primary and one backup ARO. Fire station Volunteers are responsible for relaying messages from BEECNs to the EOC during deployments and exercises and are fundamental to BEECN operations. Therefore, a BEECN cohort should know who the fire station volunteer is who will be relaying their messages. The responsibilities of fire station volunteers are described in their volunteer position descriptions and in the page [[Operations at Fire Stations|Operations at Fire Stations.]]
[[File:2013.05.22.PACE Setter (9).jpg|thumb|''Volunteering at a fire station during a 2013 BEECN exercise.'']]
A fire station volunteer is a specialized [[VSF 02.02: Fire Station HAM|Amateur Radio Operator (ARO)]], '''''or''''' a [[VSF 14.01.04: Fire Station UHF Volunteer|non-licensed volunteer]] partnering with the ARO. Fire station volunteers also form an optimal team of six or more for each fire station. Fire station volunteers are responsible for relaying messages from BEECNs to the EOC during deployments and exercises and are fundamental to BEECN operations. Therefore, a BEECN team should know who the fire station volunteer is who will be relaying their messages. The responsibilities of fire station volunteers are described in their volunteer position descriptions and in the page [[Operations at Fire Stations|Operations at Fire Stations.]]


=== BEECN Volunteers and Portland Neighborhood Emergency Teams ===
Like BEECN Teams, Fire Station teams should appoint a [[BEECN Volunteers#BEECN Team Coordinators|BEECN Team Coordinator]] to help keep them organized.
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== Spontaneous Volunteers (SUVs) at BEECNs ==
In the aftermath of an earthquake, PBEM anticipates that neighbors will emerge to help other neighbors. Some of these spontaneous volunteers may appear at BEECN sites and offer to help BEECN volunteers.
 
After an earthquake, '''[[Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers (SUVs)]]'''—those who show up without prior training or affiliation—can be a valuable resource at BEECN sites, ''if managed appropriately''. The key is to assign tasks that:
 
# Do not require prior training or credentials
# Support the mission of the BEECN site without compromising its integrity or safety
# Free up trained personnel for specialized roles
A member or members of a BEECN Team may want to consider taking a second VSF as [[VSF 15.03.02: SUV Intake]].
 
=== Appropriate BEECN roles for SUVs ===
'''Logistics & Site Support'''
 
* '''Queue management''': Help organize and direct people forming lines to request help or information.
* '''Foot traffic control''': Prevent congestion around the BEECN tent or radio operators.
* '''Set-up & Tear-down assistance''': Help erect shade structures, signage, or tables under supervision.
 
'''Information Sharing'''
 
* '''Greeter / triage screener''': Welcome people and explain what BEECN does (with a provided script).
* '''Signage holding''': Stand at intersections with directional signs pointing to the BEECN site.
* '''Runner / messenger''': Relay written messages between volunteers at the site or deliver updates to nearby partner locations.
 
'''Care & Comfort'''


# BEECN volunteers and NETs operate independent of each other’s authority and are not under each other’s chain of command.
* '''Child distraction helper''': Supervise games, coloring sheets, or storytelling to occupy kids waiting with families.
# PBEM encourages BEECN cohorts to meet with regularly with their local NETs, and to be familiar with their [[Earthquake Response Frameworks]].
* '''Elder or mobility assistance''': Provide seating or help individuals move safely through the site.
# One person may be both a NET and BEECN volunteer. NETs respond immediately following a major disaster, while BEECN volunteers operate 24 to 48 hours following an earthquake. Therefore, a volunteer can plausibly be part of both programs, and PBEM encourages volunteer participation in both.
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=== Volunteer Support Functions and BEECN ===
'''Crowdsourced Observation'''
All BEECN volunteers '''''except''''' AROs assigned to a fire station operate under [[VSF 14: Public Information]]. AROs operate under [[Radio Communication Procedures|VSF 02: Communications]].
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=== Indemnification of BEECN Volunteers ===
* '''Damage Spotter''' ''(under supervision)'': Document visible damage nearby using a paper form or their own phones.
BEECN and Fire Station volunteers are indemnified under the same policies as all PBEM volunteers. Please view the page on [[Volunteer Risk, Injury Coverage, and Indemnification|Volunteer Indemnification]] for more information.
* '''Rumor logging''': Record what people say they’ve heard (to help volunteers track misinformation).


=== Basic BEECN Training Links ===
=== Boundaries for BEECN SUVs ===
The Basic Training for BEECN includes mention of several links. Here they are:
SUVs should not:


* The BEECN Guidelines: [[Main Page#SECTION 800: Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Nodes (BEECN)]]
* Use or operate radios
* The BEECN Volunteer Application: https://app.betterimpact.com/Application?OrganizationGuid=5c003f3a-8d04-4cdf-b8c0-41627fea7871&ApplicationFormNumber=1
* Relay official messages
* BEECN Volunteer Position Description: [[VSF 14.01.01: BEECN Volunteer]]
* Enter supply caches
* Use PortlandMaps.com to find your nearest BEECN: https://www.portlandmaps.com/
* Access sensitive documents or patient information
* Email the BEECN program: [mailto:beecn@portlandoregon.gov beecn@portlandoregon.gov]


=== The role of Spontaneous Volunteers (SUVs) at BEECNs ===
* Be left unsupervised in roles with safety risks
Retrieved from "https://volunteerpdx.net/index.php/BEECN_Volunteers"