NET Instructor Terms and Conditions

PBEM CRT Policies and Procedures
Introduced:	2018.06.28
Updated:	2023.03.20
Exceptions delegation:	Van Keuren

Part of the mission of PBEM's CRT is to build a resilience ecosystem through planting and cultivating relevant skillsets in Portland communities. For this reason, CRT will approve, train, and manage NET instructors from the NET and COAD volunteer pools. This improves their expertise as volunteers, offers another avenue through which to strengthen their communities, and can enhance their personal professional development. In return, PBEM and the surrounding region has access to a broader pool of qualified instructors and facilitates PBEM producing more basic and advanced training events. This program also reduces overall training costs by providing alternatives to paying PF&R overtime rates for firefighter instructors.

We encourage NET instructors to accept pay for instructing, but an instructor can opt to volunteer if they choose to.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE

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Definition

NET Instructors are occasional instructors who are already part of or connected to the NET community. This classification does not include:

1. Currently employed firefighters (retired firefighters may have this classification);
2. Employees of the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management;
3. Independent contractors when instructing a topic on the current Contracted Instruction List, for which specific rates are determined.

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Allowable Expenses

An instructor is allowed to include the following charges on an invoice to PBEM:

• Parking.
• A meal allowance adhering to Oregon's current GSA rate for a class that is three hours or more.
• Translation and interpretation services with pre-approval from the Community Resilience Manager.

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Considerations

• Billing for prep time is not permitted except under very unusual circumstances approved by the Community Resilience Manager.
• An Instructor does not automatically retain their instruction qualifications if more than two years have passed since the last class they instructed. Reinstating qualifications, and conditions for doing so, are to the discretion of PBEM staff.
• If an Instructor receives three consecutive class rating under 85% overall when class surveys are taken, Instructor is suspended from instructing and assessed, with consideration of mandatory re-training and/or indefinite suspension. Scores under 85% are unusual.
• If a trainee is injured while in an Instructor's class, the Instructor is immediately suspended from training and instructing pending a formal review of the incident.
• NET certification for Instructors is preferred, but not required.
• Paid class instruction opportunities are offered solely and completely at the discretion of PBEM staff.

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Procedure: Onboarding a New NET Instructor

1. Prospective instructor interview: Interested Instructor candidates will undergo a brief interview. Objectives of the interview include ensuring fitness for the job (i.e. presentation acumen); willing abidance of PBEM and NET policies and avoidance of promoting disproven or discredited ideas; willingness to maintain a level of professionalism appropriate to PBEM; and, interest in specializing in training topics PBEM needs instructors for.
2. CERT Train the Trainer certification: If the candidate passes the interview, the prospective Instructor must complete CERT TTT and receive CERT TTT certification. CERT TTT certification can come from another jurisdiction. However, if it doesn’t come from Portland, the candidate must review the NET Guidelines.
3. Unit specialization: After completing CERT TTT, prospective Instructor declares what Basic NET class unit(s), or advanced topic, they wish to instruct. At this stage, they should not specialize in more than two units unless an exception is warranted and granted.
4. Required observation: For any unit the Instructor wishes to specialize in, the Instructor is required to sit in the class of a fellow Instructor who is instructing the unit.
5. Practicum: Following observation of another instructor teaching the unit, the candidate Instructor must complete an initial practicum. The Instructor teaches a full length class of the unit, with a minimum of 15 trainees and either a PBEM employee or NET Team Leader observing. The class is rated by the trainees in their class, and the feedback cards are turned in directly to a NET Coordinator or NET Team Leader. As an option, the instructor may co-teach with another instructor for the first practicum. But, the prospective instructor must still complete a solo practicum before moving to the next stage.
6. Financial paperwork: If the candidate Instructor is accepting pay, they must submit paperwork to City of Portland Procurement to be designated as a contractor for the City of Portland, and must sign an instructor code of conduct. PBEM staff will provide these blank documents to the candidate.
7. Pay Schedule: Once the paperwork is turned in, the Instructor enters the Pay Schedule as a Qualified PBEM Instructor (see below).

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NET Instructor Pay Schedule

NET Instructors are eligible for an hourly rate based on their experience and other factors:

Qualified PBEM Instructor

$25/hr. base pay rate

After onboarding, the Instructor is rated as a Qualified PBEM Instructor. Feedback surveys for the next 10 classes the instructor teaches is mandatory. To reach the next level, the instructor must instruct ten classes in at least one unit. To recap, the Qualified PBEM Instructor has completed all of the following:

• Candidate interview;
• CERT TTT;
• Has declared unit(s) to specialize in;
• Teaching observation;
• Practicum;
• Financial paperwork if accepting pay.

Senior PBEM Instructor

$30/hr. base pay rate

After teaching a minimum of 10 classes in one unit specialty, the instructor is rated as a Senior PBEM Instructor. Feedback surveys are optional, at the discretion of the instructor or PBEM staff).

Master PBEM Instructor

$45/hr. base pay rate

A Master PBEM Instructor is a designation awarded to a Senior PBEM Instructor after they have instructed no less than 20 classes in a unit; and have instructed no less than 10 classes each in two other units (total of 40 classes).

Pay Rate Bonuses

Instructors may add the following to their base pay rate as applicable:

• +$10/hr. if Instructor is fluent in, and can teach in, one of the following languages: Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Russian, or Ukrainian.
• +$10/hr. if instructor is a retired firefighter or an active/retired search and rescue professional. This includes former volunteer firefighters.
• +$5/hr. if instructor is an active/retired medical professional in a medical specialty relevant to PBEM volunteer activities.
• +$1/hr. for each of the four possible FFE stations instructor is qualified to teach at: extinguishers, search, triage, or cribbing. Note that extinguishers is restricted to firefighters and retired firefighters.
• Any added pay increase as nominated by PBEM staff and approved by PBEM Director.