Anyone who has tried to reach a loved one during a natural disaster knows the challenge of a failed phone call or an undelivered text. First responder communications in remote areas are already difficult enough. Throw in an emergency situation, when power is lost and devices can't be charged, when cell towers have been taken out of commission and comms are down, it’s not just frustrating – it can be dangerous.
Communication in remote areas
Having the ability to augment communications in remote areas is paramount. A gap in wireless coverage can impact first responder communications, making it more difficult for first responders to achieve their mission of saving lives and property. Communication in remote areas can be susceptible to physical barriers, like mountains, seasonal environmental events, like hurricanes or wildfires, and susceptible to damage or network overload during a disaster - When natural disasters or other events compromise the terrestrial network, selecting a carrier that has deployable assets with dedicated satellite capacity to provide coverage can make all the difference.
And the use of voice-only radio networks, warns the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), can also be insufficient as they do not have the ability to include data feeds, like video. Working together, industry and public safety can address new digital capabilities to help ensure network connections are reliable, resilient and secure with multiple carrier partners.
Preparedness planning
First responder communications preparedness begins with having the right equipment on hand and the right team behind you. Emergency agencies can develop partnerships with communications companies and other businesses that can assist with the right technologies and equipment for disasters. This can include vehicles that are self-contained mobile cellular sites, satellite deployable equipment or military-style first responder communications equipment that can handle most weather or terrain to enhance communications in remote areas.
Preparedness planning involves ensuring communication devices are working properly. Regular practice drills should be run to test the equipment communication in remote areas and in locations where disasters can be anticipated. In the Western states, first responders need to be prepared to assist residents escaping fires, while along the Atlantic seaboard, communications need to be sustained through high water and wind conditions.
Improving first responder communications with fast networks
In a disaster, a quick response is key. But a quick response can't happen without a fast network, both for voice and data. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has been working with DHS to create miniature mobile communications networks. These can be put on pickup trucks and aerial systems to determine signal strength and communication in remote areas that lack a wireless infrastructure.
It's also vital to partner with a provider committed to interoperability and keeping communication tools operating, and one that has the reputation of having services up and running when they're needed most. This is a partnership best developed before disaster strikes.
The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team works closely today with emergency agencies and public safety officials to offer the support needed on the ground and in the air during times of emergency. This includes pre-event planning to determine those needs and then working to ensure first responder communications are there when emergencies strike.
The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team can mobilize to support first responder communications when public safety agencies have a communication need, especially in times of crisis. The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team can offer a broad range of solutions, be it small assets from phones and routers, self-contained networks-in-a-box and portable data networks (PDNs), all the way up to vehicles such as SPOTs (satellite picocell on a trailer) and satellite COLTs (cell on light trucks).
Delays in first responder communications can potentially result in another disaster piling up behind the initial emergency. Communication in remote areas or when it appears all communication signals are lost can have an impact on emergency response efforts. It's not just a matter of making sure you have a network that offers fast services in critical times but also knowing that partnership is reliable.
You can't always predict an emergency situation, but when one does happen, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team is there. Call the nationwide 24/7 hotline: 800.981.9558 and bookmark the direct link Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.