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.