Beverly Hills leaders cut the ribbon on an emergency supply box that will help residents care for one another in the aftermath of a disaster. (photo courtesy of the city of Beverly Hills)

Beverly Hills city leaders, law enforcement officials and residents gathered at La Cienega Park on March 26 for the installation of an emergency supply box, the latest advancement in Just in Case BH, one of the city’s signature public safety programs.

Just in Case BH splits the city into nine zones, and volunteers in each zone undergo training to work with emergency services personnel and help their neighbors during an emergency, Fire Chief Greg Barton said.

“The idea behind the boxes is that if a disaster happens, the neighbors in each zone will be able to … open [the box] and provide first aid to community members who are hurt,” Barton said. “What that does is it frees up the [Beverly Hills Fire Department and Beverly Hills Police Department] to deal with the larger problems that are going on, whereas the smaller ones are able to be handled by the residents in that area.”

He added that the box is locked, and only Just in Case BH leaders, emergency services personnel and city staff can unlock it.

Barton said there was an “outstanding” turnout at the March 26 installation, where residents enjoyed food and the city hosted CPR and first aid demonstrations. Just in Case BH signed up new volunteers.

“First responders used to [only] be the police officers and fire fighters, now it’s the person standing next to you,” Barton said.

He added that the city is planning to install emergency supply boxes in the other eight zones during the coming months, and is compiling a disaster preparedness manual that will be delivered to all residential units.

Resident Vera Markowitz, who launched Just in Case BH with Barton approximately three years ago, said the box is filled with bandages, fire extinguishers and orthopedic supplies.

“In a large emergency, you can’t wait for the hospital. If we can have an area where we can treat and triage people, that’s what this is about,” Markowitz said.

While Beverly Hills officials have stored food, water, cots and other emergency supplies in locations across the city, the emergency supply boxes make first aid equipment more accessible, Barton added.

Markowitz and other Just in Case volunteers put a lot of effort into advertising the March 26 event, and it was exciting to see so many residents and representatives from the BHFD and BHPD show their support, she said.

“It was a great event, people were very excited to be there,” Markowitz said. She plans to hold similar events when the other boxes are installed, she added

Markowitz was motivated to start Just in Case BH after participating in Team Beverly Hills, a city-led effort to help residents become leaders in civic affairs, she said. During Team Beverly Hills, Markowitz learned that in an emergency, firefighters and police officers are not able to help everyone.

“People need to have a method of protecting each other,” she said. “You need to identify people that need help, and you need to identify people that can help.”

Residents who participate in Just in Case BH undergo CERT training, which teaches basic disaster preparedness skills, and meet three times a year to maintain their skills, interact with police officers and firefighters and get to know each other better, Barton said.

The organization has a tiered structure, with each zone assigned a zone leader who oversees a zone coordinator. Zone coordinators are responsible for approximately 10 blocks and oversee block captains, who are responsible for “a couple” of streets, Barton said.

“It takes residents, businesses and city staff all coming together to be prepared for a big disaster that hopefully never happens,” Barton said. “But if it does, we need to be prepared.”