VSF 02.02: Fire Station ARO
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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 02.02 is the position assigned to volunteers who are trained and ready to operate the amateur radio Orange Go-Kit at a Portland fire station. This is usually, but not always, done in service of the BEECN program. They are considered a BEECN volunteer and listed in BEECN volunteer rosters.
- See also: BEECN Program Guidelines
Summary
BEECN volunteers operate in organized cohorts, perform regular equipment checks, participate in drills, and deploy communication nodes (BEECNs) 24–48 hours after a major earthquake. Since BEECN caches operate on handheld UHF radios, they cannot talk directly with the Portland EOC. The fire station nearest to a BEECN cache serves to relay radio traffic to the EOC through use of a VHF radio set, called an Orange Go-Kit. Fire Station HAMs operate that go kit.
BEECN Volunteers are the only PBEM volunteers who can be a NET volunteer or an ATV but are indemnified by the City of Portland either way.
| Blue Skies/Grey Skies Summary | |
|---|---|
| During Blue Skies, these volunteers... | During Grey Skies, these volunteers... |
| ...stay in contact with their BEECN Coordinator, participate in BEECN equipment checks, exercises, and inventories. They monitor the BEECN readiness score for their assigned fire station. They keep on top of their radio skills, and stay in contact with the captain and/or lieutenants at their assigned fire station. | ...deploy to their assigned fire station, set up the radio, and facilitate radio traffic between their BEECNs and the EOC. |
Related Volunteer Positions
VSF 14.01.02: BEECN Coordinator
VSF 14.01.03: BEECN District Coordinator
VSF 14.01.04: Fire Station UHF Volunteer
Responsibilities
- Deploy to assigned fire station within 24–48 hours following a major earthquake.
- Set up radio equipment at the fire station.
- Relay and log emergency messages between the public and emergency responders via radio.
- Conduct periodic checks and inventory of the Orange Go-Kit to ensure readiness.
- Participate in scheduled training, drills, and activation exercises to maintain operational competence.
- Represent PBEM professionally and follow safety and operational guidelines at all times.
- Log all volunteer hours.
| Position ID ※ | VSF 02.02: Fire Station HAM |
| Mission Area ※ | Preparedness | Response | Recovery |
| Lead Agency ※ | Portland Bureau of Emergency Management |
| Active NET Required? ※ | No; this position is available to ATVs. |
| Structure ※ | The fire station HAM is part of a BEECN Cohort, and the volunteer reports to the BEECN Coordinator for their assigned fire station. |
| Relevant Knowledge, Skills, Abilities ※ | Operating a VHF amateur radio set. Ability to remain cool headed in intense situations. |
| Licenses and Certifications ※ | Technician class amateur radio license in good standing. Higher classes of amateur radio license (e.g. General or Amateur Extra) encouraged. Once licensed, volunteer must then be certified as a PBEM Amateur Radio Operator (ARO). |
| Currency ※ | Volunteers must be in touch with their BEECN Coordinator and appear on the roster of their BEECN Response Framework. They should also participate in inventories and exercises as their time allows. Because all BEECN volunteers are indemnified, they are required to log their hours but not required to meet the twelve hour Minimum Service Contribution (MRC) unless they are also a NET volunteer. However, they should log at least one hour each calendar year minimum to remain in active status.
BEECN volunteers are required to complete a criminal background check at the same frequency as NET volunteers. |
| Physical Requirements ※ | A volunteer must be inside a 20-minute walk or bike ride of the fire station they are assigned to. |
| Task Book ※ | None at this time. |
| PPE and Recommended Equipment ※ | PPE: Weather appropriate clothes.
Equipment: All the equipment a BEECN volunteer needs should be in their Orange Go-Kit. |
| Forms ※ | BEECN Response Framework |
| Updated ※ | 2025.06.01 (version 2.0) |
| Released ※ | 2017.10.03 |
Training for VSF 02.02: Fire Station HAM
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 Orientation | Required | Online | 1.5 hours | Summarizes BEECN Guidelines and prepares a new volunteer for working with their BEECN cohort. |
| Hours Logging Training | Required | Online | 1 minute | For BEECN volunteers to learn how to log their service hours in their MyImpact profile. |
| PBEM ARO Training | Required | In-person | Varies | After getting licensed, a PBEM Radio Training Liaison (RTL) will instruct the incumbent HAM volunteer on how to operate the Orange Go-Kit. |
| 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. |
VSF 02.02: Fire Station HAM Knowledge Base
| File/Resource | Description | Author | Publish Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEECN Guidelines | 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. | PBEM | 2017.10.03 |
| BEECN video content | Video content relevant to BEECN volunteer responsibilities. | PBEM | - |
| BEECN on Tumblr | Media articles tagged as relevant to BEECN volunteer responsibilities. | PBEM | - |
| Portland Basic Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) | 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. | PBEM | 2016.02.15 |