What’s big, red and there when you really need it?

From hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, floods, gas explosions, to winter storms, when it’s time to run to a crisis, a big red trailer helps connect citizens and first responders in need.

We’re at the ready to assist anywhere nationwide in a time of need. Verizon rapidly deploys network assets and personnel to regions of the country affected by devastation. One of our assets, our Verizon Response Team vehicle, recently got a makeover. A big red tractor-trailer with “Verizon Response” emblazoned on the side, it’s a new sign that help is on the way.

It’s eye-catching, but it’s life-saving in a crisis. We like to call it “big red,” but this climate controlled trailer can become a hub for first responders, providing 24 individual work spaces quickly after arriving. Each space has a charging station, laptop for internet access and a phone with international calling access, along with satellite and local TV for news and weather updates. It provides voice and data communications using our 4G LTE network, with satellite access as backup.

Verizon has eight of these large rolling assets, all strategically based so they can arrive anywhere in the continental U.S. within 24 hours. There are also 50 smaller mobile assets staged throughout the country.

While the paint job is new, Verizon’s support of first responders, especially in emergency situations, is nothing new at all. In addition to our mobile assets, our Verizon Response Teams provide local customers with Jetpacks and free charging stations for customers of any wireless provider.

We’ve assisted first responders and citizens during some of our nation’s most destructive disasters. We loaned more than 6,000 devices during 9/11, more than 3,000 during Hurricane Katrina and more than 2,500 during Hurricane Sandy. During 2018, we supported disasters including Hurricanes Gordon, Florence, and Michael; Mendocino and Camp wild fires in California, a gas pipe explosion in Massachusetts, volcano eruption in Hawaii, earthquake in Alaska, and winter storm Diego across the Southeast, among others. In total, we supported 75 disasters in 2018, helping more than 120 different public safety agencies and non-profit organizations. Last year we lent more than 2,300 phones and tablets and more than 2,700 data devices (mifi, cradlepoint, eFemtos) to keep first responders connected and communities safe.

If you see one of our trailers on the road, it’s probably on the way to help those in need and those who put their life on the line every day to keep us all safe.

When it really matters, we’ve got your back

Since 2005, Verizon has assisted first responders and communities during hundreds of natural and man-made disasters. Below are just a few.

For related media inquiries, please contact story.inquiry@one.verizon.com