‘like Being Sucker-punched’: Inside Belmont Village’s Response To The Los Angeles Firestorm

It was a typical January morning for Belmont Village CEO Patricia Will when she boarded a flight from San Diego to Houston last week. All of that changed midflight.

Texts started to roll in from leaders across the company: Strong and destructive fires were spreading in multiple parts of Los Angeles, threatening the safety of Belmont Village communities, residents and staff.

“My personal reaction was a mix of shock and determination. Hearing about the fires breaking out in various locations was overwhelming, but I knew the wheels were already in motion,” Will told Senior Housing News.

“It felt like being sucker-punched while sitting alone,” she added.

Will and the Belmont Village crisis management team sprang into action by diverting resources to protect residents and staff. They secured downtown Los Angeles hotel rooms for residents, worked with a transport company to shuttle residents to safety as staff members and resident families dealt with threats to their homes.

As firefighters raced to contain the multiple fires last week, Belmont Village evacuated two communities with no injuries reported and no property damage in the aftermath.

Will told Senior Housing News the company’s crisis response from the Covid-19 pandemic helped prepare its rapid operational response to the “unimaginable” disaster, which killed at least 27 people in the 45-square-mile area and displaced tens of thousands others.

“We drill for these situations and understand them, though we’ve never faced an event impacting so many different locations at once,” Will said. “Strangely, the prolonged emergency of the pandemic taught us invaluable lessons about seamless communication.”

Belmont Village teams relied on its internal Heartline messaging channel to communicate with families of residents to let the public know their loved ones were safe.

To support staff impacted by the fires, Belmont Village made financial contributions from a support fund to staff that lost homes and belongings.

“People in crisis need their jobs, but they also need immediate support. Those with savings view these situations differently, but for many, that safety net doesn’t exist,” Will added.

Below is a copy of the interview transcript with Will which has been edited for length and clarity:

What was your reaction when you first learned about the fires starting?

Will: I was on a plane flying back from San Diego earlier that day, before any fires had broken out or we even knew they would. While connected to Wi-Fi on the plane, I started receiving texts. It felt like being sucker-punched while sitting alone. Even then, I knew that by the time I landed, we would have a world-class, seamless plan in place. We drill for these situations and understand them, though we’ve never faced an event impacting so many different locations at once.

By the time I landed in Houston, our command center was fully operational, coordinating all the moving parts. Advanced teams had already secured hotel rooms and larger wheelchair-accessible buses for evacuees. Staff were being deployed to L.A. to support our teams working in the buildings. These teams included caregivers, building engineers, and reinforcements to support those already onsite. Some buildings were running on generators almost immediately, and we sent additional resources during the week to support them.

My personal reaction was a mix of shock and determination. Hearing about the fires breaking out in various locations was overwhelming, but I knew the wheels were already in motion. By that evening, we conducted our first evacuation when the fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills. Our Hollywood community was relocated to the DoubleTree downtown.

Amid all this, our teams showed tremendous humanity and even a sense of humor. Residents relocated to hotels still had everyday concerns, like asking about hair appointments or if their son could visit them downtown instead. The normalcy of such questions amidst chaos was grounding.

Strangely, the prolonged emergency of the pandemic taught us invaluable lessons about seamless communication. We developed a system called Heartline for emergencies, whether sustained like the pandemic or sudden like this one. Heartline ensures that people not onsite or even in the city are paired with those buildings to stay informed. They track everything, from where residents like Mrs. Smith in room 123 have been relocated to whether she has her medications. This allows family members to receive updates without disrupting the critical work happening onsite.

Constant, informed communication with families and stakeholders, free from misinformation, has been invaluable. We’ve received an outpouring of gratitude from family members who felt reassured and supported instead of becoming nervous wrecks, which anyone would understandably be in such circumstances.

We’ve never had a situation with so many violent fires occurring in so many different locations at once, right? This is absolutely unprecedented, first and foremost because of the horrible losses in L.A. For those of us in this industry who are accustomed to collaborating, the [California Assisted Living Association] does an excellent job of coordinating efforts, saying, “Here’s somebody who can help,” or “Here’s a community that’s evacuating.” Normally, between our own buildings and reciprocating with colleagues in the industry, we have things covered.

This time, the only truly safe place to go was downtown L.A. Fortunately, our advanced teams arrived quickly, secured and paid for hotel rooms. We deployed tremendous resources, both corporate and community staff to ensure seamless evacuations and to deliver services to seniors in hotel rooms. Then, we reversed the process, but no sooner had we completed one reversal than we had to initiate another evacuation elsewhere.

Our teams are generally weary but determined and incredibly resourceful in managing these challenges. Toward the early part of this week, the winds calmed down, allowing our extraordinary first responders to make real progress in defining defensible lines against the fires and beginning the difficult tasks of search and rescue. They are extremely strong, even without the other typical characteristics of a storm. You can experience 70 to 90 mile-per-hour winds right in the city, and if they persist, the risk becomes very high.

How were the evacuation handled and how many staff were involved with that?

They called the mandatory evacuation watch all the way down to some of the most densely populated public streets, including the area around the Kodak Theater, where the Oscars are held. That was our first evacuation. Fortunately, they managed to control that fire very quickly. While it wasn’t the first fire to break out, it was smaller and more quickly contained. Of course, for those who lost their homes, belongings, or, God forbid, loved ones, our hearts go out to them.

As we began the process of returning those residents, another evacuation watch was issued for our beautiful, large building in Calabasas, located just below Hidden Hills. We were already prepared to evacuate if needed. What triggered the evacuation was a fire that started further northwest, threatening one of the most beautiful residential areas in L.A. That fire prompted the evacuation decision.

Fortunately, they were able to contain that fire relatively quickly as well. By the time we had assembled the second group of residents to evacuate downtown, the evacuation watch was lifted. We decided to let the residents who were already in the hotel, tucked in for the night and ready for a breakfast of pancakes and French toast, remain there with our staff. The rest of the residents did not have to evacuate at all.

I will say that the entire evacuation process at Hollywood took under three hours.

For owners, financiers, and others on the perimeter of this situation who are deeply concerned, it’s reassuring to know that non-combustible construction offers significant protection. Buildings made of concrete or steel, with pressurized stairwells, provide crucial time in an emergency. Wood construction, on the other hand, isn’t sufficient. That’s why we’ve never built a wood-framed building, even for smaller-scale projects.

Having adequate generator capacity is also essential. When power is intentionally shut down for safety reasons, as it was for several of our communities to prevent power grid sparks, the generator needs to sustain the building’s operations for a considerable period. Ensuring that capacity is sufficient is critical.

Beyond the physical infrastructure, there is no substitute for planning and drilling. Those of us who live in areas prone to natural disasters—like California with its wildfires, or Houston and Florida with hurricanes and high winds—know these events are inevitable at some point, even if not at this magnitude.

It’s vital to know who is responsible at each building, ensure that roles are clearly covered, and drill repeatedly. Preparation and practice are key. When emergencies arise, you need people who can make quick, wise decisions.

How did Belmont Village staff members mobilize during this time?

I hate to say this, but some of the best practices we developed during the pandemic actually made things better. For example, the Heartline communication system we established was immediately set in motion. It’s designed to be ready at all times, so there’s no need to recruit people at the last minute or check if someone is on vacation or available. When the time comes, you simply hit “all systems go.”

The level of communication among our leaders was also exceptional. They conferred throughout the day, shifted resources, and managed a wide range of issues, including addressing misinformation. Social media often contains outdated or inaccurate information, so we emphasized relying on verified sources.

For California fires, CAL FIRE does an excellent job of providing updates. Additionally, there’s an app created by former firefighters and fire marshals that offers up-to-the-second information about evacuation zones and conditions. It alerts when an area moves from evacuation watch to mandatory evacuation. Everyone who needs access to this data has it, ensuring that everyone is looking at the same, accurate information in real time.

How has Belmont Village responded to the fires from a staffing perspective?

Staff tends to take care of each other. They have friends and family, just like everyone else, whether they’re living in Pacific Palisades or elsewhere. However, we also immediately provide financial assistance to those who have experienced losses. If they have insurance, it can take a long time to settle, possibly years. And if they don’t have insurance, the situation is even worse. People in crisis need their jobs, but they also need immediate support. Those with savings view these situations differently, but for many, that safety net doesn’t exist.

Overall, morale is very good. That’s not to say people aren’t tired — they are — but they’re also determined. The individuals who work in our industry, and specifically for us, are people who, by their nature, find joy in serving residents. Yes, they work for a paycheck, and yes, we need to provide competitive pay, insurance benefits, and regular recognition, but they are extraordinary people.

The best thing we can do for them is to provide an immediate safety net. This assistance isn’t a loan, and it’s handled with complete privacy. Many people hesitate to come forward, even in dire situations, such as facing the prospect of sleeping in their car. We want them to feel safe reaching out privately so we can help them.

Interestingly, this program has been utilized not just during disasters but in other situations as well, showing its broader value.

What is the situation like currently as we speak on Jan. 15?

Will: As a leader, a large employer, and a provider to L.A. families over a long period, I’m disappointed at this juncture. It’s not the first responders—they’ve been extraordinary. It’s not the providers to us—they are extraordinary, the ambulance companies, the transportation companies, and others we’ve relied on. They’ve all been amazing and selfless.

However, I think it’s undermining when, even though the book on what could have been done differently might be 1,000 pages long, empathy is what L.A. needs now from everyone rather than berating. This isn’t a political statement. My household is politically divided, and that’s fine. We live together, love each other, and may vote differently—that’s okay.

As we go through this, with extraordinary people helping everywhere and as we try to help others, we begin to see snippets of ugliness.

What can you learn about Belmont Village operations from this situation?

I wish I could answer that today, but what I can tell you is that every time we face a crisis, whether temporary or more permanent, we debrief. Corrections always happen along the way, but we conduct a thorough review to ensure we learn from each experience and incorporate it into future plans. I can’t tell you exactly what that looks like today because we’re still in the moment.

There’s been some fine-tuning along the way. We’re also not tone-deaf. For example, we have a brand-new community opening in Northern California, and we canceled the ribbon-cutting and festivities, which were scheduled for tomorrow. This decision wasn’t just to ensure we remain resource-rich in L.A., but also to dedicate the food and resources we planned for the event to L.A.

We’ve never been in a situation like this before, with a big event planned and many RSVPs, but it felt right to shift priorities. While families in Northern California may not be directly affected, many have connections in L.A.

As for our crisis-mode procedures, I don’t yet know the specifics of what can be fine-tuned. However, I promise that once we’re no longer in crisis mode, we will debug, debrief, and plan better based on everything we’ve observed and identified for improvement.

What is your message to the senior living industry in the wake of these fires?

In addition to empathy — and I think most senior living providers wouldn’t need to be told that — I believe that if you take a step back, you can be very proud of our industry. Belmont Village is a large player in Los Angeles, with seven large communities there, but we are by no means the only one.

The industry, our trade associations, and the professionals in this field are extraordinary. There’s no time for pats on the back right now, but they should come in the aftermath. The industry is doing a great job, and those who aren’t there to see the magnitude of this should feel proud to be part of the senior living industry in L.A.

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