Volunteer Support Functions
Policy Summary: Volunteer Support Functions
A Volunteer Support Function ("VSF") is an area of volunteer knowledge/skill/ability specialization relevant to disaster preparedness, response, recovery, or any combination of those three phases of the emergency management cycle. Every active PBEM volunteer (NET, BEECN, or ATV) is assigned a VSF and it is indicated in their volunteer profile.
| Effective date | June 13, 2019 |
| Last revised | May 11, 2025 |
| Policy owner | PBEM Community Preparedness Team |
| Author(s) | Jeremy Van Keuren (PBEM) |
Forms
| Relevant Forms | Updated |
|---|---|
| VSF Directory |
Reason for Policy
The Portland Neighborhood Emergency Team program ("NET") is an urban CERT program. Unlike CERT programs in rural or suburban areas, urban programs often have over 500 volunteers (Portland usually has over 1,000). Such a large pool of volunteers brings an opportunity to encourage personal interests and community-based learning by allowing specialization in disaster resilience skills and knowledge. The VSF program:
- Cultivates a significantly broader and deeper set of volunteer skills to draw from in the event of a catastrophic disaster.
- Allows for more and improved neighborhood-based disaster response planning by producing a standardized, functional structure for organizing and coordinating critical response resources and activities during an emergency.
- Promotes community ownership of volunteer programming.
- Makes NET more fun and interesting to a broader audience.
- Promotes higher rates volunteer retention (theoretically).
Policy Statement
PBEM will declare and make a best effort to develop areas of disaster resilience specializations called Volunteer Support Functions (VSFs) and list them in a VSF Directory. Each VSF is subdivided into one or more volunteer position descriptions. Each position description provides expectations (such as appropriate training and PPE) relevant to that position in an approach modeled from FEMA's Resource Typing Library.
The volunteer profiles of all active PBEM volunteers will associate the volunteer with at least one VSF, with an option to associate with a maximum of two. This will be indicated on profiles as a "Primary VSF" and an optional "Secondary VSF". Furthermore:
- NET volunteers are not required to choose a VSF. If they do not actively choose a Primary VSF, they will automatically be assigned to the Search and Rescue VSF.
- ATVs are required to declare a VSF before they can be activated as ATVs. Not all volunteer positions are appropriate for ATVs; the VSF Catalog will indicate which positions are available to prospective ATVs.
- Volunteers who are only BEECN volunteers are automatically placed in the VSF associated with Public Information. However, BEECN volunteers may declare a Secondary VSF.
VSFs will shape volunteer engagement policies for PBEM. The popularity of a VSF, for example, may lead to an increase in training events dedicated to the positions subdividing that VSF.
Scope
This policy applies to all active PBEM volunteers.
Responsibilities
- Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM)
- Sets VSFs and develops volunteer position descriptions, tracks the VSFs of individual volunteers in the volunteer database, provides Team Leaders with an accounting of the VSF competencies available on their team. PBEM also provides training and development opportunities in VSFs as resources permit.
- Team Leaders
- Uses VSF information provided by PBEM to develop their team in a direction most appropriate for their neighborhood.
- Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
- Optimally, each volunteer position inside a VSF will have one or more SMEs who research, create, edit, refresh, and approve Portland NET Wiki content related to the volunteer position(s) assigned to them.
Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Affiliated Team Volunteer (ATV) | A volunteer who supports a NET team but does not hold full "Active NET" status. |
| Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) | A community-based group of volunteer disaster responders whose members are trained and certified by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. |
| Volunteer Support Function (VSF) | A defined disaster preparedness, response, or recovery role based on skills and interests. |
| VSF Directory | A catalog of available and prospective VSFs and volunteer positions maintained by PBEM on the NET Wiki. |
Implementation Details
- For NET volunteers NET volunteers are automatically placed in the VSF associated with Search and Rescue as their Primary VSF. However, a NET volunteer can change their Primary VSF at any time, and/or declare a Secondary VSF, by emailing PBEM and requesting a change to be made in their profile. NETs do not need the permission of their Team Leader to change their VSF.
- For ATVs In order to become an active ATV, the volunteer must work with their Team Leader to decide which VSF volunteer position they will associate with. An ATV may change their VSF in consultation with their Team Leader, who then reports the change to PBEM.
- For BEECN volunteers BEECN volunteers are automatically placed in the Public Information VSF as their Primary VSF. As an option, a BEECN volunteer may choose a Secondary VSF.
Compliance
Status as an active volunteer with PBEM depends on association with at least one VSF. Only inactive volunteers do not claim a VSF on their profile.
Related Information
- Volunteer Support Function Directory (VSF)
- FEMA Resource Typing Library
- Oregon Emergency Support Functions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How will ATVs be distinguished from SUVs in an activation?
A: ATVs are issued PBEM volunteer photo ID card, similar to NET ID cards. No SUV will have a valid PBEM-issued ID.
Q: What roles/VSFs are suitable for ATVs?
A: Roles with "No" in the "NET/CERT req?" column of the VSF Directory are appropriate for ATVs. Training requirements apply.
Q: How long may an ATV serve?
A: Just like NET volunteers, there is no limit on service. Every volunteer's background check and ID card must be renewed every three years.
Program/Policy Background
"ATV" was first coined and suggested to Jeremy Van Keuren (PBEM) by NET volunteer David Given in July 2017. David worked with Boy Scout volunteers and requested a volunteer status that kept a non-NET disaster response volunteer "in the loop" of NET activities and encouraged forming a planning relationship with local teams.
PBEM implemented the ATV status as a solution to two problems:
- It offers exiting NET volunteers an alternative to separating from the NET program completely. If a NET volunteer is unable to meet/uninterested in meeting their Minimum Service Contribution but would like to remain a part of their local team, they can do so as an ATV. ATV status is an alternative to making a NET volunteer "Inactive" and completely discharging them from the program.
- It encourages non-NET neighbors to volunteer with their local NET team by giving them a status in the program. A neighbor may be interested in disaster response activities with their community and want to plan ahead, but do not have the time and/or inclination to complete Basic NET training. Becoming an ATV gives them a team role to fill by declaring a VSF (e.g. radio operator) and makes them more ready to participate with a NET team than a spontaneous volunteer (SUV) would be.
