How Verizon is supporting first responders during Debby
Verizon has responded to requests from 20 separate agencies across federal, state and local levels to provide critical communication capabilities during the response to Tropical Storm Debby.
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00:00In a severe weather event like Debbie, reliable communication for first responders is so crucial and it can save lives.
00:06Corey Davis is Vice President of Verizon Frontline and he joins us now. Corey, thanks so much for joining us.
00:13Pleasure to be here, Jeff. Thank you for having us.
00:15This is good stuff. And Corey, how is Verizon's Frontline Crisis Response Team supporting efforts and supporting those in harm's way here with Debbie in the Southeast?
00:26Yeah, sure. So prior to the storm making landfall, our team moved into position just outside the storm's path.
00:32So we'd be ready to move in the area very quickly and safely to support all the first responders in the area with our mission critical communication.
00:40So that support could be something as large as a temporary cell site, where we have nearly 600 of these deployed across the country, or as small as a smartphone.
00:49Whatever it takes to support the customer's mission, we're going to be there for them.
00:53And I can tell you this, Jeff, our network has held up very strong and we're still working with a number of public safety agencies as they respond to Debbie.
01:01So, so far, we've responded to requests from nearly 20 different agencies at the federal, state, and local level in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
01:12And we'll continue to work with those public safety agencies to ensure that they have those communication capabilities that they need.
01:19So important with water rescues and all the other things that first responders get into and emergency management.
01:25So ahead of a storm, how does Verizon support and ensure connectivity for government agencies before severe weather hits?
01:32Yeah, so we've been working hand in hand with first responders for more than 30 years.
01:36So we have a very deep understanding of their unique needs and when responding to these severe weather events.
01:41So our team stands ready 24-7 to provide that on-demand emergency assistant to both government agencies and first responders at no cost.
01:50And last year alone, we responded to 1,600 requests for support from over 900 agencies across the United States.
01:58And one other thing we do, Jeff, to ensure that we're always ready is the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team participates in rigorous training exercises year-round.
02:08And we are often shoulder-to-shoulder with first responders.
02:11And these exercises are fundamental to our overall support structure.
02:15We've learned a lot during these Blue Sky Days events.
02:19And that really helps improve our overall response strategy.
02:22Okay. Well, Corey Davis, Vice President for Verizon Frontline, thanks again, Corey.
02:26Good talking to you. And thanks for all that you do.
02:28Thank you. Stay safe out there.