With landlines down, small town stayed connected with Verizon Frontline

WASHINGTON, CA – As a small, historic mining town in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Washington sits at the base of the Yuba River in Northern California’s Nevada County. With a year-round population of fewer than 100, this remote town’s residents depend primarily on landline phone service for their communication needs. When a recent snowstorm left the town without phone service, Verizon Frontline and the Verizon Response Team were called in to help restore communications for the entire town. This assistance would prove critical as first responders and residents dealt with the aftermath of a storm that dumped four feet of snow in three days.

Following a call by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office to the Verizon Response Team hotline, Verizon Frontline technology was deployed immediately to the town and local public safety professionals as they worked to help keep the residents of Washington safe and secure while landline communications were restored.

Delivering a Satellite Picocell on a Trailer (SPOT) to Washington, the Verizon Response Team provided Verizon 4G LTE service and open Wi-Fi for all residents regardless of their current mobile service provider.

“Communication is often the backbone of our response. Once our Emergency Operations Center found out that Washington’s residents were without power and communication, we were concerned that critical 9-1-1 services would be affected,” said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon. “Verizon immediately stepped in and quickly provided a ‘SPOT’ system that restored mobile phone communication to the area, not only for residents but for first responders working in the town as well.”

The support to Washington was provided at no cost and was in place as long as there was a need.

“Our work in Washington is another example of Verizon Frontline’s decades-long commitment to ensuring first responders have the mission-critical communication capabilities they need to do their jobs,” said Cory Davis, Director of Verizon Frontline’s Public Safety Operations. “It is our privilege to be able to help those on the frontlines who are putting their lives at risk to keep our communities safe."

Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over nearly three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies – to meet their unique needs.

The Verizon Response Team provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7 basis. Verizon Response Team members set up portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance.