Speakers Bureau

Volunteer Support Function (VSF) 14.03: CRD Public Outreach

Members of the Speakers Bureau are trained to deliver the 60-75 minute presentation Emergency Preparation for You, Your Family, and Your Community. Sometimes the session is referred to as 'emergency prep 101'. We provide this educational format to the public, nonprofit organizations, and other City bureaus and partners virtually and in person. It requires 75 minutes.

Who qualifies?

Typically, Active NETs are preferred based on their training in emergency preparedness and response, but other members of the community are eligible.

Training

Two-hour train-the-trainer (TTT) sessions are announced in the PBEM Volunteer Bulletin periodically, and added to MIP Opportunities > Advanced Training.

After attending a training, you will be provided with a link to the Speakers Bureau application form. If accepted, you will receive notifications when new Speakers Bureau events are posted for Speakers to sign up.

The Slides

The presentation is provided in PowerPoint or PDF format to volunteers who are designated as members of the Speakers Bureau. To maintain an excellent standard of public education, PBEM must train and qualify presenters. The PowerPoint slides are not distributed beyond the Speakers Bureau group.

Modifying the Presentation Content

Speakers Bureau members may not modify the presentation content, which has evolved over a decade and based on many, many presentations to various audiences. We understand that some volunteers may wish to present different or additional information outside the scope of the Speakers Bureau presentation. However, the goal of this program is to effectively deliver these specific topics and knowledge to the public, as advertised. Therefore, modifying the format is not acceptable, in order to maintain consistency and quality.

Content Updates

Science and circumstances evolve, and information included in the presentation might change. When that happens, PBEM will publish a revised slide deck for Speakers Bureau members, and list the changes.

The Speakers Bureau Deployment Process

1. An organization or group of neighbors requests a presentation for 8 or more people through our online form at https://pbem.link/eprep
2. After PBEM vets the request, it is added in MIP under Opportunities > Speakers Bureau. Only volunteers qualified to sign up for these opportunities will see these. When we add a batch of events, notification will be sent to Speakers Bureau members, and you can simply check MIP periodically.
3. Decide if you will take the event:
   • If the event is in your neighborhood, and the details in the description sound appealing to you, sign up and it’s yours! No one else will be able to sign up after you claim the event. So please read the assignment details carefully and double-check your schedule first. Because PBEM does not want to drop the ball on public events, you cannot cancel a Speakers Bureau sign-up in MIP yourself. You must [email PBEM] so that we know to re-fill your slot.
   • If the event is not in your neighborhood, and there is a Speakers Bureau member in that neighborhood (list below), please wait a couple of days before claiming it, so that a local person has first dibs. We want neighbors educating neighbors when possible, because this is a great way to recruit NETs and ATVs for your local team.
4. After you sign up for a gig, the description in MIP will change slightly. You, and only you, will now be able to see the name, phone number, and email information for the event organizer. Please contact them directly to finalize arrangements. You also will see the full address of the presentation location they submitted.

After a Presentation

1. Send a note or email to the organizer thanking them for inviting you. Include any supplemental information that you promised during your presentation.
2. Log your time in MIP.
3. Log your event using this form so that it is counted in the Community Outreach Tracking Dashboard.
4. Unless there are privacy concerns, send great event photos to net@portlandoregon.gov for posting on the NET Tumblr! Include date and location.

Additional Presentation Topics

Portland Preparedness Background Information - A sort of FAQ for Speakers.

In the future, additional specific presentations might be offered such as Disaster Sanitation and Sheltering in Place.

List of Neighborhoods with Speakers Bureau Members

Updated 2025.03.04

• Centennial
• Collins View
• Eliot
• Foster-Powell
• Hayhurst
• Hillsdale
• Hillsdale
• Homestead
• Irvington
• Laurelhurst
• Madison South
• Maplewood
• Mt. Scott-Arleta
• Mt. Tabor
• Multnomah
• North Tabor
• Northwest District
• Parkrose
• Reed
• Rose City Park
• Sellwood-Moreland
• St. Johns
• Woodstock