By Maureen Inouye
UP's Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) finished its third training session this past Saturday. The emergency team, made up of volunteers from the North Portland area, is being taught to assist Portland and UP officials in the case of emergency.
"If there's an opportunity and I have the time, there's no sense in not doing it. It's important to be informed," said senior Katie Hargett, one of the volunteers.
The team includes 11 students, one professor and two residents of the North Portland neighborhood.
Each fire district in Portland has its own emergency team. UP is in District 26, but has chosen to not assimilate into the District 26 team. Rather, UP will have its own NET in order to work more fully with University officials.
For the past three weeks, volunteers have worked Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to learn how to handle emergency situations.
The Portland Office of Emergency Management sponsors the classes.
Volunteers are taught how to handle natural disasters, terrorist threats and biological hazards - large disasters that could overwhelm officials from the police force and fire stations as well as Public Safety.
The first training session was led by Lawrence Behmer, who works for the Portland Office of Emergency Management and is the chair of the Portland Citizen Corps Council.
Behmer taught students about earthquakes, fire suppression and safety, disaster psychology and utility shut-off.
The second session's lesson on first aid was taught by an EMT. Volunteers were taught to evaluate and prioritize injuries. They also learned about bio-medical hazards and safety.
The NET's third session was headed up by District 26's Fire Captain Joel Kasprzak, who has traveled across the country helping communities learn about emergency response.
"Don't become a victim" was Kasprzak's repeated advice to volunteers as he urged them to be mindful of hazards to both victims and themselves.
On Saturday, Kasprzak's presentation began with slides and a PowerPoint presentation about search and rescue, and then the team progressed into actual cribbing drills. Cribbing is a technique used to lift heavy objects, like pieces of buildings, off victims.
"We need to make sure students are prepared," said Lori Chorpenning, a nursing instructor and the only faculty volunteer.
"In the case of emergency, the NET will gather in front of Public Safety," senior Margaret Mascsak said. Mascsak is the UP NET leader, chosen by her peers at the group's last meeting.
In case of an actual disaster, the volunteers will then train other community members in various tasks like medical care, communication, and search and rescue.
"The idea is to have a leader for every seven people," Mascsak said, "to allocate resources properly."
Having completed three intensive sessions, the team will have a full, hands-on drill in November at the practice area used for official firehouse drills.
"The goal is to get a full team going," Chorpenning said of the training.
If any emergency or disaster strikes, the UP NET is ready and able to train other students to help officials.
If you are interested in being a volunteer, contact Lawrence Behmer at lbehmer@ci.portland.or.us.
