Cell Phone Tips Help Customers Prepare for Wild Fire Season

None of Verizon Wireless’ cell sites has been affected by the Summit Fire. The network is operating at normal performance levels. The company used generators to power sites lacking commercial power during a brief power outage yesterday.

Wild fire season has begun in Northern California and Verizon Wireless is prepared to respond rapidly to maintain service in the event that fires damage cell sites or other key communications equipment.

Verizon Wireless’ reputation as the nation’s most reliable wireless network is supported by industry-leading redundancy and maintenance measures, including brush clearance. This has proven particularly valuable during natural disasters and other emergencies across the country. In 2007, Verizon Wireless deployed mobile cell sites and other equipment to more than a dozen wild fire incidents in the Western United States.

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.

“The devastation caused by the Summit Fire in Santa Cruz County affects our customers, communities and employees,” said Rich Garwood, Verizon Wireless Northern California and Nevada regional president. “We are committed to keeping customers connected.”

To help wireless customers prepare a communications plan and stay connected in the event of an emergency Verizon Wireless offers the following tips:
Save emergency phone numbers in your cell phone with one-touch dialing
Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you have to evacuate
Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends
Limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and free-up wireless networks for emergency agencies and operations
Send brief text messages rather than making voice calls for the same reasons
Have additional charged batteries and car-charger adapters available for back-up power
Keep phones, laptops, PDAs, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location
There’s no need to find a WiFi hotspot with BroadbandAccess — Verizon Wireless’ high-speed wireless broadband service gives users mobile access to email and the Internet at broadband speeds

Other general preparedness tips:
Trim trees and clear brush well away from your home, keep foundation plants well-watered
Take photos or videos of all personal possessions for insurance purposes
Have at least $200 in cash in the house for emergencies
Develop a systematic evacuation and communications plan with family and friends that includes what to do, who calls who, where to go and what supplies and items you will take with you
Have an emergency plan for pets
Place emergency items in car trunk

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 67.2 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: 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.

Contacts

Verizon Wireless
Heidi Flato
925-324-8692
heidi.flato {at} verizonwireless(.)com