“Disasters continue to grow and become more catastrophic,” announced Meena Janmohamed, the Beverly Hills emergency management manager, at the Second Just in Case BH Emergency Preparedness Fair on Sept. 29 at Roxbury Memorial Park. Minutes later, at 3:15 pm, the city successfully tested the Outdoor Warning System, which alerts residents of natural disasters and threats in English, Spanish and Farsi. The system will have another citywide test later in October.
“This is the city of Beverly Hills. Attention: This is a test. This is a test of the emergency warning system. This is a test and only a test,” the system announced in a spoken alert before sounding off powerful sirens and a series of tones, prompting some residents to cover their ears. The system repeated the warning in Farsi. When the test was completed, community members applauded the system’s success.
“The city’s goal is to keep our community as prepared and informed as possible. We know preparedness is a communitywide effort, and we strive to build a more prepared, resilient community,” Janmohamed explains. “The installation of the sirens is an asset to the city and another tool in the city’s alert and warning tool kit.”
Mayor Lester Friedman also gave opening remarks and introduced the Outdoor Warning System. “We’re lucky because of the commitment all of our community has to every event,” said Friedman.
He recounted that early in his career as a councilmember, it was clear that wildfires were a prominent threat to the area. “When the Paradise Fire occurred up north, we realized we had a high wildfire danger area in our hills. One of the problems with the Paradise Fire was that people couldn’t get out quick enough.” The warning system was conceived to alert residents of an emergency in addition to phone calls and other safety measures already in place. “We can get a verbal warning out to people. It’s only one part of our entire emergency system.”
Friedman praised the extensive work Just in Case BH has done for emergency preparedness in the city. “We have emergency kits in each zone, so each zone captain knows where the emergency kit is. If you go to La Cienega Park, you see this big trunk that’s locked, waterproof, and it has emergency supplies, “he said.
Just In Case Beverly Hills plans to hold similar events every couple of months. “We’re trying to get as many people signed up as possible. We work with the fire and police departments. So, in case of a widespread emergency, we assist in letting the community know we’re divided into different zones,” explained Just in Case BH liaison Negar Motayagheni, M.D. She added that the preparedness program also acts as an action plan for families. “We train people. We have designated people. They can protect themselves and their families and help their neighbors.”
The Emergency Preparedness Fair featured about 15 booths—composed of nonprofits and city departments—providing information about resources and strategies to prepare for an emergency.
At one booth, the American Red Cross offered tips about what to do in case of an emergency, particularly earthquakes. “A lot of people think that in an earthquake, they should run. They need to know not to run. You should be aware of where you’re going to drop and cover. Most fatalities happen from debris falling from above,” said Will Masters, the Red Cross liaison.
While adults browsed the fair, children had the opportunity to participate in art and craft projects at the Mount of Angels booth. “This way, the kids have something to do while the adults are doing their adulting,” joked Jesse M. Cohen, the founder of Mount of Angels, a nonprofit that provides financial support to young artists in all art disciplines.
The Beverly Hills CPR booth offered tutorials on CPR with several dummies for training. Former Mayor Les Bronte, a volunteer with Beverly Hills CPR, said that in a life-threatening emergency, the most important advice he can offer is to stay calm. “Do the best you can do. Realize that it may fail, and the person may not be able to be resuscitated. Learn to stand up and speak up,” said Bronte. He emphasizes that educating workplaces and participating in CPR training is an easy way to make the community safer.
