Community Preparedness Team Strategic Plan: Difference between revisions

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=== Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) ===
=== Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) ===
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!Objective
!Narrative
!KPIs/Timeline
!Status
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|style="width: 5%; text-align:center"|'''<big>1A</big>'''
|style="width: 20%"|'''Evaluate, and move the BEECN District Coordinator program out of its pilot phase.'''
|[https://volunteerpdx.net/index.php/VSF_14.01.03:_BEECN_District_Coordinator District BEECN Coordinators] are a new volunteer position position currently piloted in Districts 2 and 4. With PBEM no longer employing 1 FTE to manage the BEECN program, BEECN maintenance and monitoring has fallen to the remaining PBEM CPT team. Absorbing that additional workload in-house has dragged down BEECN Readiness Scores, as testing, maintenance, and restocking caches has been deferred.
The purpose of a District Coordinator is, for each resource in their District, solve simple maintenance fixes, request inventory refills, coordinate BEECN radio tests, and provide leadership. The program only began in the Fall of 2025 with District 2 and 4, and it is too soon to say if a District Coordinator can help pull up scores. But if the program is successful in the pilot Districts, PBEM will expand it to Districts 1 and 3.
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|style="width: 5%; text-align:center"|'''<big>1B</big>'''
|'''Recruit 40 more Amateur Radio Operators (AROs) and assign them to fire stations.'''
|Each fire station is the radio traffic relay point for multiple BEECNs (sometimes as many as five or six). If a fire station does not have at least one ARO assigned, all of the BEECN caches tied to that fire station are unlikely to be able to pass radio traffic up to the EOC.
At this time, 20 fire stations do not have ''<u>any</u>'' AROs assigned. Program-wide, BEECN needs to recruit, train, and assign a minimum of 34 AROs to get on solid footing.
The recruitment process for AROs is challenging. AROs have to become licensed amateur radio operators, and then undertake hours of additional training to learn how to operate a fire station orange kit. Since the system relies on amateur radio, by FCC rules, the AROs must be volunteers and not City employees (unless they volunteer their time without pay). 
Success recruiting more AROs will require dedicated attention from PBEM staff and the help of Multnomah County’s amateur radio community.
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|style="width: 5%; text-align:center"|'''<big>1C</big>'''
|'''Re-start regular BEECN training.'''
|Owing to staff shortages, PBEM CPT suspended monthly BEECN training sessions in April 2025. These training sessions, open to the public, were critical for increasing the number of available BEECN volunteers (a typical training would have 40 attendees). Available BEECN volunteers is a factor in overall program readiness.
PBEM can mitigate the staff capacity issue by recording the training on video and making the video available to prospective BEECN volunteers. The video content would be complemented by optional virtual Q&A sessions with prospective volunteers after they complete the video training.
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|style="width: 5%; text-align:center"|'''<big>1D</big>'''
|'''Develop a training module on how to run a District-level BEECN test.'''
|Optimally, the entire BEECN system is radio tested annually. The tests help identify radio communications issues and ensure the equipment is in good working order for deployment.
PBEM no longer has the staff capacity to conduct regular radio tests for the BEECN program. Volunteers could fulfill that role if trained, with some PBEM support. The training could be done through an SOP published to WikiNET.
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|style="width: 5%; text-align:center"|'''<big>1E</big>'''
|'''Retire old BEECN cache boxes and site 100% of all BEECN radios in the field.'''
|The older style BEECN cache boxes are difficult to maintain, difficult to place securely (because they have a large horizontal footprint), and there is no funding available to replace boxes that have fallen into critical disrepair. When caches have been stolen or removed from the field for maintenance issues and not returned, it is a significant drag on the overall BEECN Readiness Score because that resource is scored at “0% ready”. A cache that is not deployed is not available for use.
This plan recommends permanently retiring old cache boxes when they are stolen or no longer work. For each BEECN cache that loses a cache, PBEM will instead site only the UHF radio. The UHF radio (which is in a case the size of a lunchbox) is far easier to track, maintain, and site with BEECN volunteers or other community partners.
All associated cache equipment (e.g. medical supplies) would be placed with the local Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET).
'''''Tactical notes raised by the strategic planning group for consideration:'''''
'''''Why can NETs find a place if we can’t? Will the radio still be accessible on private property?'''''
'''''Deconflict NET staging areas and BEECN sites…'''''
'''''Have BEECN sites and medical evac areas next to each other, with NET staging areas further away'''''
'''''“Medical deployment activation”'''''
'''''“Central location…”'''''
'''''“Make the radio portable…NET is the team, BEECN is the team member”'''''
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|style="width: 5%; text-align:center"|'''<big>1F</big>'''
|'''In all strategic goals and objectives, prioritize District 1.'''
|[https://www.portland.gov/council/districts District 1] consistently has the lowest BEECN Readiness Score by a significant margin, often in single digits. Compared to the other districts, District 1 also includes the greatest proportion of communities underserved by government: BIPOC communities, new Portlanders, low income households. This objective proposes that District 1 be prioritized for staff work and intent.
Tactical plans to improve District 1’s score can include working with D1 Councilors and local nonprofit organizations to recruit more BEECN volunteers.
'''''Tactical notes raised by the strategic planning group for consideration:'''''
'''''Two district coordinators instead of one?'''''
'''''Strategic partnerships with community based orgs, possible financial incentives?'''''
'''''Targeted Universalism'''''
'''''Maybe this is a CPT goal for the whole strategic plan?'''''
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==== COAD Response Network ====
==== COAD Response Network ====
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