Neighborhood Emergency Team FAQ

What are Neighborhood Emergency Teams (NETs)?
Is NET like CERT?
Why train citizens in disaster response?
How are Portland citizens trained?
How much does it cost to get trained?
How can I buy NET gear on my budget?
Who participates in the NETs?
How much time do I have to commit to if I decide to join NET?
So, do you guys get dispatched to car accidents and stuff?

What are Neighborhood Emergency Teams?

Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) members are everyday citizens trained by Portland Fire & Rescue and the Portland Office of Emergency Management (POEM) to provide emergency assistance in their own neighborhood for 72 hours following a disaster such as a severe winter storm or major earthquake.

POEM may also activate the NETs in the event of a flood, hazardous material spill, wildland interface fire or other citywide/regional emergency. NET members also work in their respective neighborhoods to recruit more people for the NET training, to organize Team operations, and to help assure that all households in their area are prepared for any citywide emergency.

Is NET like CERT?

In short, NET is CERT. Portland Police have a division named SERT (Special Emergency Reaction Team). Portland elected to NOT confuse 911 dispatchers with homonyms. "Dispatch SERT." "Wait, SERT, the folks with the guns, or CERT, the folks with the ropes and flashlights?"

...Hence, "NET."

Why train citizens in disaster response?

The City of Portland, besides being federally mandated to do so, chooses to maintain the NET Program for the following reasons:

With the exception of hurricanes, the metropolitan Portland area is at risk for all types of natural disasters. The floods and storms we've experienced over the past eight years have given us a sample of these events. In addition to seasonal occurrences, we are also due for a major earthquake. According to the Oregon Department of Geology and the U. S. Geological Survey, our region has experienced a major earthquake about every 350 years and the next one is due anytime.
In the event of a major earthquake or other calamity, many neighborhoods will be on their own. Fire, Police, Maintenance and other City resources will be overwhelmed with requests for help, even while damaged streets and other conditions may slow down our operations.
In any calamity, most people naturally want to help their neighbors. Neighbors are first on the scene and in fact citizens typically perform 80% of the rescues achieved in a disaster situation; however, would-be rescuers often become victims. Training is needed to keep those good Samaritans from becoming victims themselves, to help neighbors help each other more effectively, and to prepare citizens for active partnership with the City of Portland when disaster strikes.
We know the NET concept works. During the December 1995 wind storm, the February 1996 flood, and the January 2001 wind storm, POEM activated NETs to assist with downed power lines, supervise untrained volunteers in response efforts, distribute the City's official warnings to businesses and residents, and assist with reconnaissance in damaged areas. In each event, nearly 60% of the NET members "reported for duty" within 90 minutes of contact by the Bureau and without prior notice. Since the start of the NET Program in Portland, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has adopted the model nationally. There are currently over 90 programs like the NETs throughout the U.S. and they are the primary element in the Citizen Corps Initiative featured in President George W. Bush's Homeland Security proposal.

How are Portland citizens trained?

Participants attend seven three-hour sessions of NET Basic Training and complete a five-hour exercise at the end of the course. The training emphasizes personal and team safety. You can find a course syllabus and registration form on this site.

Program participants who complete the Basic Training attend refresher and advanced classes offered by POEM and Portland Fire & Rescue on a quarterly basis. These ongoing classes are critical in maintaining and enhancing NET members' disaster response skills and team capabilities. Space in all the training - the basic course and the advanced classes - is available on a first come-first served basis and advanced registration is necessary.

In addition to the advanced and refresher classes, NETs have the opportunity to participate in a hands-on exercise once a year. These include an annual city and region-wide exercise conducted by POEM and Portland Fire & Rescue, as well as regional "rodeos" that bring together disaster volunteers from all over Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington.

How much does it cost to take NET training?

Believe it or not, the training is totally free. Portland is one of the few cities in the US that fully funds civilian emergency response training. The only thing you are financially responsible for is providing your own NET kit.

How can I buy NET gear on my budget?

The majority of stuff in a NET kit is stuff that you may already have lying around. The rest of it can be purchased for a few dollars. We understand that not everyone has hundreds of dollars to spend on emergency response gear. One of the reasons we started this website, in fact, is to give CERT folks a place to compare bargains.

Who participates in the NETs?

POEM currently graduates about 175-200 NET volunteers annually. Our goal is to train and help organize a team of 50 NETs in each of Portland's 30 Fire Management Zones (FMZ). Since 1994, over 1,650 citizens have completed the basic training. The pool of NET members has about equal representation of male and female volunteers with a wide range of ages. (The youngest member is 14 years old; the oldest member is 81.)

There are teams in all 30 FMZs, citywide. In each of their neighborhoods, current NET members are responsible for recruiting other participants to help build their Team as well as engaging in community education

Business teams are also being trained. We call these groups Business Emergency Teams or "BETs." POEM offers a Train-the-Trainer course for private sector safety officers, training managers, and property managers who want to establish their own in-house disaster response teams. The train-the-trainer approach allows the POEM and the Fire Bureau to reach a greater number of businesses and also allows the businesses to offer the basic training in a way that best meets the needs of their own employees and operations.

How much time do I have to commit to if I decide to join NET?

NET is one of those programs to which you can commit as much or as little time as you want. We are federally mandated to require you to complete 25 hours of training in order to join the NET roster, but beyond that, the extent of your involvement is largely driven by you. NET teams have quarterly meetings, and we offer advanced training in things like rope rescue, triage and search and rescue.

We have people who dedicate many hours a week to NET planning, and some others who say, "Thanks for the training - call me when the disaster hits." Both ends of the spectrum are okay.

So, do you guys get dispatched to car accidents and stuff?

We are only deployed in the event of a disaster - "disaster" meaning "an emergency so large in scope that paid responders may be overwhelmed." In the event of an earthquake, flood or other disaster that could hit Portland, anyone who can do a little math can see that we just simply won't have enough paid responders to help every single person. Part of the mission of the national CERT program is to educate and train civilians to provide intermediate services and address basic problems while the paid responders are handling the really giant stuff - hazardous materials, large fires, etc. NETs are occasionally deployed in response to public events to help with crowd management, and as part of disaster mitigation projects.

For more information contact Lawrence Behmer, NET Coordinator at the Portland Office of Emergency Management at 503-823-4421