Emergency Radios Purchased By Beaumont USD Through $350K+ Grant

BEAUMONT, CA — Beaumont Unified School District is nearly finished rolling out its new emergency radio operations system after being awarded a $348,464 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice in 2024, the district announced in a recent news release.

In the last five years, the state of California has declared 70 disasters, according to USAFacts.org, and the City of Beaumont has experienced its own share of emergencies, according to Serenity Junge, Beaumont USD Risk and Safety Director, who submitted the grant proposal. Beaumont USD Risk and Safety Technician Albert Nolasco was instrumental in much of the legwork for the radio system after the grant was awarded, according to the release.

The new communications system connects all District campuses, ranging from Calimesa, Banning, and Beaumont, in the event of a crisis, such as a major earthquake, he said.

“In the event of an emergency, cellphones can become overloaded, sometimes making it impossible to place a call. Our emergency radios allow us to immediately communicate with school sites without needing to rely on cell towers. It’s also faster. Click a button and we’re immediately talking to every school,” explains Junge.

Beaumont USD Risk and Safety Technician Albert Nolasco was instrumental in much of the legwork for the radio system after the grant was awarded.

“This project took months of work and still continues. We worked with Motorola to conduct heat studies, installed radio repeaters on rooftops, distributed radios, and conducted the first Districtwide test of the radios during the 2025 Great California Shakeout," Nolasco said.

The Great California Shakeout is an annual, statewide drill involving millions of participants in preparation for an earthquake.

Each school has a minimum of three Motorola XPR 3500 radios, with enhanced safety features including 28 hours of battery life, instant push-to-talk communications, and the ability to remotely activate a radio if an employee is unresponsive.

In addition to the emergency radio system, the District maintains around 700 emergency supply containers, which include high-calorie meal replacement bars, clean-drinking water pouches, mylar thermal blankets, battery-free flashlights, first-aid pouches, and C-A-T tourniquets.

Only 25% of households in the Inland Empire say they’re prepared for a natural disaster, according to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California.“When kids are in our care, we put enormous thought into their safety. I encourage every household to also make a plan and build an emergency kit."