Verizon stands ready to support customers during wildfire season
June 23 2021 - 11:00AM
The 2020 wildfire season was the worst on record, in terms of acres
burned and air quality degradation. This year, experts predict yet
another extreme wildfire season in the American West as the drought
conditions continue and temperatures rise. For residents throughout
the region, having a “go bag” and an evacuation plan is now part of
the normal summer routine. Preparing for extreme weather, natural
disasters and other emergency situations is something we do all
year long at Verizon to make sure our customers can connect with
the people and information they need when it matters most.
Being able to communicate during a crisis is critical. That’s
why in addition to having backup batteries, Verizon has permanent
generators at the majority of our cell sites (towers) and all of
our switch locations (network nerve center), which we're able to
refuel during extended power outages. These backup energy sources
help keep our network running when commercial power is lost.
Verizon is ready:
Verizon has made preparations to ensure the network is ready for
wildfire season.
- Support for first responders: Verizon Frontline is the advanced
network and technology that has been built for first responders –
developed over nearly three decades of partnership with public
safety – to meet their unique needs. During times of crisis, we
provide network priority and preemption for first responders at no
cost to public safety agencies. This gives first responders access
to the network when they need it. Additionally, when disaster
strikes, the Verizon Response Team (VRT) is available 24/7 365 days
a year to coordinate with first responders to provide essential
technologies during a crisis. During wildfires, the VRT will
mobilize charging stations, devices, special equipment, emergency
vehicles and more to support local, state and federal agencies
across the US. More public safety professionals rely on Verizon
than any other network.
- Redundancy Equals Reliability/Backups to the Backups: We use
different strategies including backup generators and HVAC systems
and redundant fiber rings for cell sites and switching centers to
keep the network running and customers connected when commercial
power is lost or fire damage occurs.
- Refueling strategy: We pre-arrange fuel deliveries for our
generators in case of a wildfire, with tankers poised and in
position to quickly respond to hard-hit areas in the event
commercial power is lost.
- Year-round preparation: We run Emergency Operation Center
drills throughout the year to ensure our team is ready and equipped
to respond to emergencies.
- Support for the community: We have mobile Wireless Emergency
Communications Centers, Tactical Command Trailers, and Response
Trailers ready to deploy to support first responders and community
members with recovery efforts.
- Improved response with drones: We have surveillance drones on
standby to help assess and respond to damage from a wildfire, and
we have drones that can deliver wireless service to a designated
area from the sky.
- Satellite assets: We have a fleet of new satellite-equipped
portable cell sites and have secured dedicated satellite links for
connection. If fiber or microwave is damaged due to sustained
winds, fire or manual fiber cuts during post-fire recovery work,
satellite-enabled portable equipment and dedicated satellite links,
along with the fleet of portable generators keep the network
running without commercial power
How you can prepare: Do you have a
personal communications plan?
Early Summer is a great time to ensure you are ready for the
season too. We encourage you to take these steps to ensure your
loved ones are ready to communicate during a wildfire.
Device preparation:
- Ensure all battery-powered devices are fully charged before the
wildfire hits. This includes wireless phones and smartphones,
laptops, tablets, flashlights and radios.
- Wireless devices can be a key source of information and
communication in the event of an emergency, so be sure to keep
phones, tablets, laptops, batteries, chargers and other equipment
in dry, accessible locations like re-sealable plastic bags, dry
bags or waterproof cases.
- In case of evacuation, pack spare wall and vehicle chargers in
your go-bag, and have portable device chargers fully charged and
next to your device.
Know and back up your info:
- Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers and email addresses,
including police, fire and rescue agencies; power companies;
insurance providers; and family, friends and co-workers. Program
them into your phone, smartphone, tablet or laptop and also have a
hard copy handy, someplace easily accessible.
- Backup your information on Verizon Cloud - Verizon offers
backup assistance through the Verizon Cloud to store your phone’s
address book and contact information as well as pictures and other
content on a secure server.
- Record video/take photos of your possessions in your residence
before severe weather hits.
Bookmark resources:
- Download weather applications and alerts that provide users
with a variety of information such as radar images, forecasts and
high-wind warnings.
- Program your smartphone to receive emergency alerts. Wireless
Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are free wireless notifications that are
delivered to your mobile device by local/national public safety
organizations.
- Also in case of evacuation, bookmark your emergency resources
on your phone so you can research any special restrictions,
limitations or instructions if you need emergency shelter, medical
care or other support that may be impacted by COVID-19.
- Review additional tips for preparing your home for disaster
during a pandemic at the American Red Cross disaster page.
How businesses and government organizations can prepare
and stay connected
Businesses and governments know the importance of wildfire
preparedness. This year, with so much of the workforce working
remotely, contingency planning is even more critical. We offer
customers products and services that can help disaster-proof
communications and enable business continuity. It’s also a good
time to review readiness plans.
Suggested steps for businesses and government
organizations include:
- Make sure you have contact information updated and readily
available for all employees.
- Make copies of insurance documents, review insurance coverages
and update as appropriate.
- Ensure employees working from home have documented all
corporate equipment being used to work from home in case of damage
or loss.
- Ensure you have a backup plan to shift work in case
work-from-home employees in a wildfire-impacted area have to
evacuate their home or their home loses commercial power.
This wildfire season is predicted to be an active one, and
Verizon is crisis-ready and crisis-proven.
**Editor’s Note: Access images and b-roll for
Verizon equipment, recovery efforts and more. For information on
Storm Updates throughout the season, please visit our Emergency
Resource Center:
https://www.verizon.com/about/news/emergency-resource-center
Media contact:Heidi
Flatoheidi.flato@verizon.com925.324.8692@heidiflato
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