More than 3,500 volunteers are part of Portland's Neighborhood Emergency Teams

(NOVEMBER 11, 2022) Safety is important. People need to be ready for an emergency. This might be a bad winter storm, an earthquake, or a flood. Sometimes police officers and firefighters cannot get to everyone right away. So Portland has created Neighborhood Emergency Teams (NETs).

NETs are teams of volunteers. They help others in their own neighborhood. They live there, too, so they are usually the first people to arrive. NET volunteers are trained to help others until professionals can come.

More than 3,500 volunteers have completed the free training. Some situations might be things like:

• help to protect citizens from power lines that are down

• provide first aid

• help at shelters for evacuation or bad weather

• provide transportation

Recently a number of high school students joined the NET program. They trained with Portland Fire & Rescue and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. They passed their tests, and now they, too, are certified to join a NET.

There are four steps to join the program:

1. 1. 1. Complete a registration form online.

      2. Complete a video training and quiz online.

      3. Enroll in basic training classes. These take about 28 hours and are in person or a combination of in-person and online.

      4. Complete a criminal background check.

For more information about the Neighborhood Emergency Teams and its volunteers and its training, visit https://www.portland.gov/pbem/neighborhood-emergency-teams/volunteer