Penn's Division of Public Safety hosted its annual Health and Safety Fair on Sept. 27 to raise awareness for safety, preparedness strategies, and operations across campus.
The event, which has been hosted annually since 2013, took place on the high rise field across from the Penn Hillel building and ran from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The programming included a speaker series on community risk reduction, a test of the UPennAlert and PennSOS systems, a firehouse chili cook off, a controlled burn demonstration, and booths from various campus partners.
DPS partnered with a variety of organizations to host this event, including the National Fire Sprinkler Association and the Philadelphia Fire Department. The speaker series — newly introduced for this year's event — featured representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management, and FM, a global insurance organization.
Chief of Fire and Emergency Services Eugene Janda told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the event aims to "make sure people are never afraid [and that] they're just always aware of the steps they need to take."
“Always have a plan for emergencies, [students] should know what to do," he said.
Janda, who has worked at Penn for 25 years, added that students could also learn about vital on-campus safety procedures through training components of the event. Volunteers from Penn's Medical Emergency Response Team were on hand to lead hands-on CPR training.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jeffrey Hunter opened the speaker series by addressing emerging wider security threats. He highlighted critical issues such as cybersecurity, online extremism, and domestic terrorism mitigation strategies.
“One of the most significant challenges we’re seeing right now is the rapid evolution of cyber threats,” Hunter told the crowd at the event, emphasizing that both individuals and businesses are vulnerable to attacks that can disrupt operations and steal sensitive information.
“It’s not just large corporations that are targets — small businesses, local organizations, and even individuals are increasingly at risk,” he said.
Hunter also discussed the FBI’s efforts to counteract the spread of extremist ideologies online and in local communities. He noted the increasing use of social media for recruitment and radicalization and provided resources on how community members can report suspicious activities and engage with local FBI offices.
FM representative Jessica Waters discussed the significant role climate risk plays in today's society in her remarks. She touted her expertise in engineering and risk management and emphasized the need to understand and address climate-related hazards. She also highlighted the increase in severe convective storms and their associated risks, including hail and tornadoes.
Deputy Director of Philadelphia's OEM Angel Roebuck expressed enthusiasm for engaging with the community in his speech. He outlined the OEM’s structure, which includes three divisions — Preparedness, Operations, and Strategy Engagement — and stressed the importance of knowing risks and preparing for emergencies.
“It’s not a matter of 'if' disasters will occur, but 'when,'” Roebuck said, noting prevalent hazards facing Philadelphia, including severe weather, flooding, and home fires.
Roebuck also emphasized the importance of participating in the hazard mitigation planning process, which is updated every five years, and urged residents to stay connected with the OEM through their emergency alert system and social media for information about emergencies and preparedness resources.
"The whole purpose of this fair is to remind folks to keep themselves safe," DPS Director of Communications Stacy Ritchey told the DP. She and Janda emphasized the evacuation, shelter-in-place, and lockdown procedures as takeaways that students should remember from the event.
DPS conducted its annual test of the UPennAlert system during the fair, including a mock shelter-in-place drill and a siren that could be heard across campus.
Janda told the DP that the fair was an excellent opportunity for people from different parts of campus to come together and get to know one another. He stated that “the overarching thing is to get people together.”
“Wherever you go, wherever you have people that you love and care about, they should have a plan in place,” he said.
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