Citywide Deployment Exercise May 30, 2026

Collins View NET & South Burlingame NET Participation

PBEM, the NET Mother Ship, organizes this twice-yearly Deployment exercise to practice Neighborhood Emergency Teams' response after a significant disaster like earthquake or fire.

The Collins View NET (CVNET)/South Burlingame NET Exercise was held at Riverdale High School Parking lot. About 14 people participated.

Scenarios

Scenarios that required NET investigation, judgement, rescue, first aid interventions included:

1. Broken water line
2. Hissing sound from gas meter (residents standing on balcony smoking to calm their nerves)
3. Person pinned under a collapsed wall
4. Large tree down across arcing power lines
5. Crashed car with person trapped inside
6. People with different degrees of bleeding, etc

Radio Communications

Radio communications between Search and Rescue Teams and the Staging Area staff are essential for effective response.

Organization and Preparation

Organization and preparation —deciding a variety of scenarios, equipment— was superb and very pragmatic/thoughtful of folk's time and energy. [Bow to CVNET Team Lead Brenda N!]

• The participants' inter-personal communications —not just the required scripted coms— was exceptionally respectful and good natured, while being seriously engaged in business.
• People really listened to other people.
• People absolutely worked seamlessly together doing the set up/take down tasks and whatever needed to be done.
• The staging area staff and Team Leads were efficient and great in their roles. Awesome communication and competence.
• Thoughtful discussion afterwards was so well done.

Thanks for this experience. M.Read, (CVNET participant)

Photos from the Exercise

Search and Rescue (S&R) Team heads out on an assignment

Search and Rescue Team getting an Assignment from Operations Chief (OPS). Neighborhood Map (posted on car) for locating incidents.

The OPS Big Board keeps track of Volunteers and S&R Teams.

S&R Team Checking in a rescued victim to First Aid

ARO - Radio communication stations is such an important part of the coordinated response!

What better to symbolize what NET does?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

• OPS Operations Chief — manages emergency teams and supplies
• IC — Incident Command: Oversees Operations Chief, Logistic Chief, prioritizes requests, assigns and monitors assignments, etc
• PBEM — Portland Bureau of Emergency Management
• ARO — Amateur Radio Operators: Licensed HAM radio operators especially trained and tested who will be responsible for managing radio communications between NET teams and PBEM
• FRS — Family Radio Service : two way walkie-talkies require no license
• GRMS — General Mobile Radio Service: (type of more powerful walkie-talkie radio that requires a license but no test)
• NET — Neighborhood Emergency Team
• SITREP — Detailed report on how a situation was responded to during an emergency
• W7ECC — The call sigh for the PBEM Ham Radio Station that will receive and send messages
• Sub-Net Control — A radio station that will relay communications between NET teams and PBEM
• BEECN Box — Box of Supplies provided by PBEM to NET teams