Verizon Wireless Supports Firefighters And Emergency Crews Battling Pagami Creek Wildfire In Northeastern Minnesota

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WHO:
Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network.

WHERE:
Northeastern Minnesota, near Isabella, near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

WHAT:
Verizon Wireless has been called upon by the Superior National Forest Service to provide vital communications to first responders battling the 100.000 acre Pagami Creek fire in northeastern Minnesota. The fire originated from a lightning strike on Aug. 18, 14 miles east of Ely, Minn.

The company’s network team has activated a mobile cell site near Stony River Forest Center to provide wireless communications support. The cell site provides coverage around the Center area in support of local and volunteer emergency services personnel headed in and out of the hot zone. Verizon Wireless will also deploy 20 mobile devices for emergency responders.

HOW:
These COLTs are self-contained mobile cell sites specifically designed for rapid and short-term response, and each site can process thousands of calls an hour, enabling emergency response teams to use their wireless phones concurrently. The COLT is able to connect to a nearby tower via microwave dish and operate on generator power. A fuel truck has been deployed to the area to power the COLT.

In addition to its fleet of mobile equipment, Verizon Wireless’ nationwide network reliability is supported by industry-leading redundancy and maintenance measures, which have proven particularly valuable during natural disasters and other emergencies. Standard Verizon Wireless network-reliability features include battery back-up power at all facilities as well as generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations.

B-ROLL:
B-Roll and high-quality still photographs of Verizon Wireless’ mobile cell sites used for disaster response can be found at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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