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During the spate of wildfires that ravaged California in late 2019, the Ismaili community in the Porter Ranch area of Southern California was particularly impacted, with 50 Ismailis being issued evacuation orders due to the Saddleridge fire. One evacuee was Farida Makhani, who was asked to leave with her family. She recalls, "From knocking on our doors late at night relaying the emergency evacuation orders to tirelessly protecting our community as the fires roared all around, the firefighters accepted the mission to ensure our safety and security.”
In recognition of the service these men and women rendered during those fearful days, as well as for times when their service is less visible, the Ismaili Council for the Western United States hosted a civic appreciation event to recognize and honor local firefighters, law enforcement, and other public safety officials.
Elected representatives from city, county and state levels joined in honoring the selfless work that these professionals do to protect us during emergencies. The event was held at Los Angeles Police Department, Valley Traffic Division, and was attended by fire, police and sheriff officers from Panorama City.
Attending the event on behalf of their respective departments were Deputy Chief Trevor Richmond for the Operations Valley Bureau of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Deputy Chief Jorge R. Rodriguez for the Operations Valley Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as Mr. Noah Sachartoff, representing the Honorable Congressman Brad Sherman; Mr. Anthony Garcia from State Senator Bob Hertzberg’s office; Ms. Emma Taylor, District Director for Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian; Ms. Yvonne Perez and Mr. Andres Sandoval from the Office of Nury Martinez, President of the Los Angeles City Council; Mr. Cruz Ponce, from the California Office of Emergency Services; and Ms. Diane Gonzales and Mr. John Riley from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Welcoming the guests was President of the Ismaili Council for Western United States, Rahim Karmali. In his opening remarks, he told the story of the morning on Friday, October 11, 2019 when he received the call that 50 Ismailis were being evacuated from their homes, leaving behind everything to reach safety. He described the anxiety of those days, and the hope the community felt knowing that first responders were there, working tirelessly in their time of need.
President Karmali also noted that “While these fires are only one reminder of the heroic work done by our first responders day in and day out, we want to take this moment to salute all of you, your 2 million colleagues in the first responder community around the country, and your families, who sacrifice so much themselves, to ensure that we can sleep peacefully at night, knowing that there is someone out there making sure that our families are safe.”
These sentiments were echoed by Ms. Perez. “Providing public safety is very important to the councilwoman, and so we are very appreciative that you guys are always out there, day and night, providing services and…saving lives in our district and the City of Los Angeles,” shared Ms. Perez.
Similarly, Mr. Garcia remarked that “it is an absolute honor to recognize the incredible work of the LAPD and LAFD first responders. Not only…last year when our district experienced the wildfires but also the incredible work that they do year-round.” Ms. Taylor stated, “We really appreciate their efforts so much and we also appreciate the community for coming together to recognize those efforts.”
