{"id":133567,"date":"2026-01-14T19:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/133567\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T19:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:08:08","slug":"ocde-joins-countywide-leaders-to-strengthen-disaster-preparedness-efforts-ocde-newsroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/133567\/","title":{"rendered":"OCDE joins countywide leaders to strengthen disaster preparedness efforts \u2013 OCDE Newsroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\"SixCounty Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean addresses business and community leaders during the Be Prepared OC Summit, emphasizing coordination, communication and support for vulnerable students and families during emergencies.<\/p>\n

Quick look: Spurred by lessons from last year\u2019s Los Angeles wildfires, OC leaders came together to focus on shared responsibility in disaster preparedness. County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean emphasized that schools often serve as first points of connection for families, especially the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

In the wake of last year\u2019s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, local leaders gathered Tuesday to focus on a shared priority: ensuring Orange County is prepared before the next crisis strikes.<\/p>\n

The Be Prepared OC Summit, held Jan. 13 at the UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation Center, was convened by Orange County United Way<\/a> and 2-1-1 Orange County<\/a>, in partnership with Niagara Cares<\/a>. The event brought together regional officials, first responders and corporate leaders to emphasize coordination, communication and shared responsibility during disasters.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.Orange County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stefan Bean speaks during a panel discussion at the Be Prepared OC Summit on Jan. 13 at the UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation Center. Seated alongside him are Debbie Leahy of the American Red Cross (left) and Amy Arambulo of 211 Orange County (right).<\/p>\n

County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean was among the featured panelists. He outlined how the Orange County Department of Education supports schools, families and communities during emergencies and community-wide crises.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur role at OCDE during a disaster or community crisis is really about coordination, integration and continuity for our school systems,\u201d the county superintendent said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bean said the department works closely with 28 school districts, 40-plus charter schools and numerous public safety partners, including the Sheriff\u2019s Department and the Orange County Fire Authority, to ensure schools are fully integrated into broader emergency response efforts.<\/p>\n

This approach is outlined in OCDE\u2019s 5-3-1 Strategic Plan<\/a>, which identifies student and school safety as a core priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat alignment is so critical as it\u00a0helps inform our decisions and how we coordinate those decisions,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s timely, so that our schools are not operating in isolation during these high-impact events.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bean also highlighted OCDE\u2019s Crisis Response Network<\/a>, which deploys trained mental health professionals to support students, staff and families coping with trauma and loss.<\/p>\n

Crises don\u2019t need an invitation<\/p>\n

Following a welcome from Susan B. Parks, president and CEO of Orange County United Way, the panel of speakers was moderated by Steve Churm, chair of the 2-1-1 Orange County Leadership Council and founder of Churm|360. <\/p>\n

Leading things off, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes emphasized that preparation must begin long before emergencies unfold.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe time to prepare is not when 9-1-1 calls start happening, sirens go off or you see fire or civil unrest or whatever it might be,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cThe opportunity to prepare starts right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barnes urged business leaders to recognize their role in preparedness, noting that crises and disasters \u201cdo not come by invitation\u201d and often affect employees and families first.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen that happens, you may be looking to government to help,\u201d Barnes said, \u201cbut it\u2019s your role to best prepare your organizations first and your employees to help fill their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, he stressed the importance of operating together, within established systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a coordinated, very intentional response,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cCoordination, collaboration and communication are key during any time of crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other panelists included Cheyne Maule of the Orange County Fire Authority, Debbie Leahy of the American Red Cross and Amy Arambulo of 2-1-1 Orange County. Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley also offered remarks on the county\u2019s preparedness efforts.<\/p>\n

Later, during the question-and-answer portion of the summit, participants raised questions about communication during emergencies, how agencies support vulnerable populations and where gaps in preparedness remain.<\/p>\n

Schools as resource hubs<\/p>\n

Responding to a question about vulnerable communities, Bean emphasized the unique role schools play before, during and after crises. He noted that some districts have community schools<\/a>, a term used to describe hubs that connect families to academic, health, mental health and social services.<\/p>\n

\"CountyCounty Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean and Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes connect before the Be Prepared OC Summit, which brought together education, public safety, nonprofit and business leaders to strengthen countywide disaster preparedness.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things schools do particularly well is support our most vulnerable communities,\u201d Bean said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bean explained that during emergencies \u2014 whether related to mental health, natural disasters or other crises \u2014 families often turn first to their local schools for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have established schools to be resource hubs during a crisis,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd every school principal, every school district, and the county have these safety plans and know how to follow them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the summit concluded, organizers emphasized that preparedness depends not only on public agencies, but also on the resources already embedded across the community. <\/p>\n

Parks of Orange County United Way encouraged business leaders to consider what assets their organizations could offer during emergencies, such as food from workplace cafeterias, transportation support or space that could be repurposed to meet urgent needs.<\/p>\n

The event closed with a call to action from Churm, who asked attendees to write down the name of one person within their organization who could serve as a designated point of contact during emergencies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The goal, he said, is to help build a countywide preparedness network that allows businesses, nonprofits and public agencies to connect quickly, share information and coordinate support when disasters occur.<\/p>\n

\"SueSue Parks, president and CEO of Orange County United Way, addresses the audience during the Be Prepared OC Summit on Jan. 13 at the UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation Center. Parks served as emcee for the event, guiding the discussion on disaster preparedness and community collaboration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean addresses business and community leaders during the Be Prepared OC Summit, emphasizing coordination,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133568,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164],"class_list":["post-133567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}