Basic Earthquake Emergency Communications Nodes (BEECN)
In the event of a major earthquake in Portland, the communications systems that Portlanders rely on are unlikely to function. Cell phones, land lines, texting, and internet service are not resilient enough to endure the damage anticipated from a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.
Therefore, a major earthquake means that residents in Portland neighborhoods will find it difficult, if not impossible, to receive information and request help from local government in the aftermath. Damaged roads and infrastructure will also cut off many Portland neighborhoods from emergency responders.
A Basic Earthquake Emergency Communications Node (BEECN) is a place to go in Portland neighborhoods after a major earthquake to ask for emergency assistance, or to report severe damage or injury. BEECNs rely on the amateur radio system (“HAM”), a relatively durable communications system, to help neighborhoods and local government reach each other.
In the aftermath of an earthquake, volunteers or city employees will proceed to one of 50 BEECN sites spread throughout the city. Each BEECN has an equipment cache associated with it which the volunteers will deploy. BEECN volunteers use a handheld radio in the cache to talk with an amateur radio operator at the nearest fire station who will relay those messages to the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Message traffic is intended to be two-way. This means that the EOC can send response and resource information to neighborhoods through BEECNs, while neighborhoods can talk with local government to report damage or injuries and request help.
Portlanders should not think of a BEECN as a place where people will find emergency supplies or resources, nor should they consider it a staging area for medical professionals and emergency medical services. BEECNs are intended as communication points only.
Above all else, the BEECN program relies on the help of volunteers to succeed. Volunteers and community partners keep the BEECN caches secure, periodically test the equipment, offer program feedback to PBEM, and will be the neighbors their communities rely on to help facilitate effective communication following an earthquake.