VSF 03.01: Debris Clearance
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A Volunteer Support Function (VSF) is a functional area under which volunteers carry out their responsibilities. Each VSF is broken into position assignments. VSF 03.01 is the position assigned to volunteers who will clear earthquake debris from City-owned streets.
Summary
TBA
Debris Clearance volunteers assisting the City of Portland only clear debris from public streets. If a volunteer helps clear debris on private property, that volunteer does so without any association with the City of Portland. Volunteers clearing debris from private property risks the private property owner's prospects for receiving relief from FEMA.
| Blue Skies/Grey Skies Summary | |
|---|---|
| During Blue Skies, these volunteers... | During Grey Skies, these volunteers... |
Responsibilities
| Position ID ※ | VSF 03.01: Debris Clearance |
| Mission Area ※ | Preparedness | Response | Recovery |
| Lead Agency ※ | Portland Bureau of Emergency Management |
| Active NET Required? ※ | No; this position is available to ATVs. |
| Structure ※ | During Blue Skies, BEECN Coordinators report to the BEECN District Coordinator in charge of their district. BEECN District Coordinators relay questions and concerns to PBEM staff, preferably via BEECN@portlandoregon.gov. |
| Relevant Knowledge, Skills, Abilities ※ | Ability to monitor and coordinate the activities of several small groups. Strong communication and interpersonal skills. |
| Licenses and Certifications ※ | Drivers license is recommended to transport supplies as needed. |
| Currency ※ | Because all BEECN volunteers are indemnified, they are required to log their hours but not required to meet the Minimum Service Contribution (MRC) unless they are also a NET volunteer.
BEECN Volunteers are required to complete a criminal background check at the same frequency as NET volunteers. |
| Physical Requirements ※ | None. |
| Task Book ※ | None at this time. |
| PPE and Recommended Equipment ※ | PPE: As this is a Blue Skies position, no PPE is needed.
Equipment: Not equipment exactly, but a BEECN District Coordinator should have the cache access information of each cache in their district and should keep that information secure. |
| Forms ※ | None. |
| Updated ※ | 2025.03.29 (version 1.0) |
| Released ※ | 2025.03.29 |
Training for VSF 14.01.03: BEECN Coordinator
Important note: ONLY the trainings listed as REQUIRED are required! Optional training and supplemental resources are presented as a path for a volunteer to increase their knowledge and confidence carrying out their volunteer responsibilities. However, no volunteer's Active status depends on completing training marked as "Optional" or "Supplemental". For more information, please visit the article on Position Descriptions: Training Section.
| Training or Resource | Type | Delivery | Duration | Learning Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic BEECN Training | Required | Online | 1.5 hours | Summarizes BEECN Guidelines and prepares a new volunteer for working with their BEECN cohort. This training is important for a district coordinator so they can anticipate the needs and expectations of BEECN volunteers. |
| Hours Logging Training | Required | Online | 1 minute | For BEECN volunteers to learn how to log their service hours in their MyImpact profile. |
| BEECN Journaling System and Dashboard | Required | Online | N/A | The District Coordinator should have a complete understanding of how the journaling system and scoring index works. This will help them make strategic decisions on improving the BEECN Readiness Score for their district. |
| BEECN Volunteer Position Descriptions | Required | Online | N/A | District Coordinators should review the position descriptions for the other BEECN volunteers in order to anticipate needs. |
| IS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System | Optional | Online | 2.0 hours | Course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of the Incident Command System. Knowing the basics of ICS can give BEECN volunteers context to the City's overall response effort. |
| IS-242: Effective Communication | Optional | Online | 8.0 hours | This course covers basic communication skills, how to communicate in an emergency, how to identify community-specific communication issues, using technology as a communication tool, and effective oral communication. Not every sub-topic in this course is relevant to the responsibilities of a BEECN volunteer. |
| IS-2901: Introduction to Community Lifelines | Optional | Online | 1.0 hours | Introduces the FEMA Community Lifelines construct, an outcome-driven response structure used to achieve incident stabilization. PBEM uses Community Lifelines, and knowing them will help BEECN volunteers communicate more effectively with the EOC. |
| Basic NET or CERT (certification) | Optional | In-person | 24 hours | Basic NET/CERT training provides more and varied disaster response skills and situational awareness to BEECN volunteers. |
| NET Leadership Curricula | Supplemental | Online | Supplemental leadership curricula for leading volunteers. | |
| Portland Basic Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) | Supplemental | Online | N/A | The BEOP is the framework that governs how the City of Portland responds in the aftermath of a major disaster. Being familiar with it can provide BEECN volunteers with heightened situational awareness. |
| BEECN Guidelines | Supplemental | Online | N/A | The BEECN Guidelines is the "blueprint" for the BEECN program and covers the nuances of program policies. A regular BEECN volunteer doesn't need to know the Guidelines to carry out their responsibilities, but reviewing them will enhance knowledge and provide a more complete picture of the program. |
| BEECN on Tumblr | Supplemental | Online | N/A | Media articles tagged as relevant to BEECN volunteer responsibilities. |
| BEECN video content | Supplemental | Online | N/A | Video content relevant to BEECN volunteer responsibilities. |