Community Partner Bulletin

PBEM EventsFebruary BEECN TrainingMonday, February 28, 6 pm – 7:30 pmLearn about the radio communication sites that will be set up all over Portland after an earthquake. This informational session and training is free and open to all. If you want to become a BEECN volunteer after this training, there is a brief application process.  Full info and event registration.Reminder Basic NET Training (in person)Saturdays, 2/26, 3/5 & 3/12, 8:30 am – 5 pmBasic NET is a free 28-hour training that will prepare you to help your community after a major disaster. And you get a cool helmet! More details: Neighborhood Emergency Teams (NETs) are Portland residents trained by PBEM and Portland Fire & Rescue to provide emergency disaster assistance within their own neighborhoods. NET members are trained to save lives and property until professional responders can arrive. These volunteers are specially trained to help others without putting themselves in harm’s way.  NET members are:1. Prepared to be self-sufficient for two weeks during any emergency.2. Able to provide emergency assistance to their family and immediate neighbors.3.  Able to work within an emergency response team to save lives and property in their neighborhood. 4.  Able to guide untrained volunteers who want to help others during a disaster. You must attend all three classes and one final field exercise on either March 19 or March 26. Required: Proof of full vaccination, six-foot social distancing, and a KN95 or N95 mask (provided if needed). More info and registration.Earthquake Exercise with PBEM and Community PartnersWednesday, March 9, 9 am – 1 pmFEMA is hosting an online “tabletop exercise” to practice an earthquake scenario and our responses. This 4-hour exercise is designed for community-based group participation (not individuals). Anyone representing a community organization in the Portland metro area is welcome to join.  Experience with these kinds of exercises is not needed! If your organization has done some planning for disasters or would like to be better connected with other organizations, this is a great way to test your plans or make connections. The goal is not to have a perfect response, but to see how events might unfold and where we can better prepare. Emergency managers will be paired with organizations to support them during the exercise.  Sign up here.Mental Health First Aid with Portland COADThursday, March 31, 9 am – 3:30 pmThe votes are in — thank you for your input! This six-hour certification class is being co-taught professionally by Kate Hubbard. Free of charge; PBEM will cover the cost of each student’s three-year certification. Please note: Participants must complete two hours of prework in order to access the online class. More information and signup here.

Other EventsDIY Weatherization Workshops with Community Energy ProjectMake your heating work smarter, not harder this season. Lower your energy bills, stay comfortable in your home, and save natural resources. Qualified participants receive a FREE kit of supplies. Wednesday, February 16th, 4:00pm-5:00pm Friday, February 18th, 4:00pm-5:00pm Thursday, February 24th, 5:30pm-6:30pm Community Energy Project – Workshop Calendar Workshop FlyerTIPNW Volunteer Training & RecruitmentTIP Volunteers are called by law enforcement, fire, medical and hospital personnel to respond to scenes of sudden or unexpected death (natural, homicide, suicide, accidental, infant), industrial accidents, sexual assaults, violent crimes and other traumatic incidents to provide immediate emotional and practical support to families, friends, witnesses and victims.  TIPNW is offering a training academy in March: Adult training flyer TEEN training flyer  To register or find out more, call 503.823.3937 or visit tipnw.org.

COVID-19 Information

Community organizations: Order home test kits and PPE OHA Testing Kits & PPE Form/Formulario de Equipos de Prueba y Equipos de Protección Personal The Oregon Health Authority is sending over 1.45 million test kits to community organizations. iHealth test kit instructions in English, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese and more languages on their website.   Free at-home COVID-19 tests in the mailEvery home is eligible to order 4 tests for free. https://covidtests.gov

Request N95 masks from Multnomah CountyIf your organization serves people with disabilities, immunocompromised people or others at risk for severe COVID illness, your organization can request N95 masks and other supplies here:   Multnomah County Resource Request form Please email at eoc-community-resources-unit@multco.us or call 503-988-8940 if you have any questions or need help filling out the request form.