Wildfires can have a devastating effect on crucial lines of communication. During the 2017 Northern California wildfires, 77 cell towers were destroyed. When fire struck the region again in 2019, communication was even more limited; due to fire damage and planned power outages, at least 874 cellphone towers were unavailable.
For those in the affected communities, lacking communication during the fires was disconcerting, to say the least; it was also dangerous because many were unable to access information and updates about evacuations. But the inability to communicate during a regional disaster is even more serious when it comes to first responders.
Mark Ghilarducci, California’s director of the Office of Emergency Services said in January that the loss of hundreds of cell towers and data lines in October 2019 was a “worst-case scenario” for emergency responders, with ”911 centers and hospital centers being unable to process critical data or leverage important records.”
The fires have shown us how any disruption to emergency communications is a severe public safety threat. And based on what we’ve seen in the past couple of years, it’s likely that Northern California will continue to have an annual fire season. Even if there was a public safety grid, as proposed by Ghilarducci, having an emergency backup system in place that’s not reliant on terrestrial service is essential.
Whether heading to a fire or tackling another form of disaster, first responders need to have access to reliable, consistent communication. Without it, their ability to stay connected to the control center, assist victims, or even communicate with others on their team is severely impacted. Terrestrial networks, like land mobile radios (LMR) or cellular long-term evolution (LTE) services are often heavily impacted during a disaster.
Satellite communications, on the other hand, are unaffected by terrestrial matters. This makes satellite-enabled push-to-talk (PTT) radio an ideal solution. PTT radio allows first responders to stay connected even in the most remote locations – regardless of the type of disaster they’re facing. The radios also work in conjunction with existing LMR communications, giving you the interoperability you need to stay connected in any situation.
We can’t prevent natural disasters from occurring, but taking proactive measures to improve communications is a sure way to increase the safety of your team and the community. For more information about incorporating PTT into your organization or to have a system tailored to your communication requirements, contact Remote Satellite Systems at 1-888-989-8199.