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Volunteer with PNEC
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Volunteer with PNEC

Whether you can give two hours a year or become a frontline responder, there's a meaningful role for you in Poway's emergency preparedness network. Every neighborhood needs a coordinator. Every emergency needs ham radio. Every drill needs a hand.

60
Neighborhoods to staff
~100
Active CERT volunteers
100%
Volunteer-run since 2003

Pick your role

All roles are open to Poway residents. No prior experience required — PNEC provides all training. Pick one and we'll match you with the right volunteer lead.

Neighborhood Coordinator

Be the emergency point of contact for your street or block. Coordinators maintain a household roster, know who's medically vulnerable, and serve as the bridge between residents and PNEC during outages, fires, and quakes.

  • Commitment: ~4 hrs/month
  • Training: Annual all-coordinator session (free)
  • Best for: community-minded residents who know their neighbors

CERT Volunteer

Complete PNEC's 24-hour Community Emergency Response Team training and join the team that activates during local emergencies — light search-and-rescue, fire extinguishers, triage, cribbing — until professional responders arrive.

  • Commitment: 24-hr training + quarterly drills
  • Training: FEMA curriculum, taught free by Poway Fire Dept
  • Best for: hands-on helpers ready to respond when called

Ham Radio Operator (PACT)

Get your FCC Technician license and join PACT — the Poway Auxiliary Communications Team. PACT operators relay emergency voice + data when cell and landline infrastructure fails, which it often does in Santa Ana wind events.

  • Commitment: monthly nets + emergency activations
  • Training: PNEC sponsors free FCC licensing exam sessions
  • Best for: tech-savvy residents comfortable with radio gear

Administrative & Board Support

Help PNEC run its outreach campaigns, events, social media, grant writing, fundraising, and organizational operations. Board members serve one-year terms and guide PNEC's strategic direction.

  • Commitment: varies by role (2–8 hrs/month)
  • Skills welcomed: writing, design, event planning, finance, IT
  • Best for: organized, community-focused residents

Express Your Interest

Fill this out and a PNEC coordinator will follow up within a few business days. We use email-only contact so volunteer names stay off public pages.

Thanks — we got it! A PNEC coordinator will email you within a few business days. Watch for a message from powaynec@gmail.com.

Your info goes only to PNEC's coordinator team. We don't sell, share, or publish it. Questions? Email powaynec@gmail.com.

Already trained somewhere else?

If you have prior CERT, ham, EMS, or disaster-volunteer experience and want to plug straight in, mention it in the message field above — we'll fast-track the conversation.