Broadband  |  2023-06-21

Verizon Frontline Supports North Carolina Wildfire Response

Source: Verizon
Curated by: Gert Jan Wolf - Editor-in Chief for The Critical Communications Review

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team on Sunday deployed two Satellite Picocells on Trailers (SPOTs) to provide mission-critical communications support to first responders battling the Pulp Road Fire in eastern North Carolina.

At the request of the North Carolina Forest Service, the two SPOTs were delivered to identified priority locations near the fire to help provide firefighters and other public safety agencies with critical voice and data service.

SPOTs are rapidly deployable and provide wireless network coverage in remote areas where traditional signals are challenging or unavailable, like the area in and around the Green Swamp Game Land and Nature Preserve, where the Pulp Road Fire has burned more than 15,000 acres.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team’s deployment in North Carolina is the most recent example of how it ensures wildland firefighters have the connectivity they need to achieve their missions 24/7, at no cost to the agency. The team has responded to 15 requests for communications support during wildfires in nine states and has delivered nearly 100 Verizon Frontline solutions so far in 2023.

Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over nearly three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies on the front lines – to meet their unique and evolving needs.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies and emergency responders, on a 24/7 basis. Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team members set up portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance.