Portland funds three PBEM positions aimed at updating plans, expanding training and improving alerting

Portland’s Community and Public Safety Committee on July 15 heard details about how three newly funded positions will be used at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management to update emergency operations plans, expand training and exercises, and manage the city’s alert and warning systems.

The bureau’s chief resilience officer, Richard Narwal, told the committee the additions are intended to address critical capability gaps identified in an internal assessment that benchmarks bureau programs against Emergency Management Accreditation Program standards. "Many of the plans that we currently have are out of date and require substantial revisions," Narwal said, and the new planner will focus on revising the city’s basic emergency operations plan and other operational guidelines.

PBEM presented the hires as a targeted step to make progress on multiple…