PRESS RELEASE
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Throughout 2024, public safety agencies across the nation responded to everything from severe weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes to devastating wildfires and more, under some of the most austere conditions imaginable. During this challenging year, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team helped provide mission-critical communications support to the first responders on the front lines of these disaster response operations.
Composed primarily of former public safety and military personnel, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team is dedicated to supporting first responders and
government agencies during emergencies at no cost to the supported agencies. In 2024, the team responded to more than 1,400 requests for support from more than 800 different federal, state and local public safety agencies in nearly every state and Washington, D.C.
During these responses, the team provided public safety agencies with nearly 10,000 Verizon Frontline devices and solutions ranging from repeaters, mobile hotspots, routers, smart devices and drones to dozens of deployable satellite solutions such as Satellite Picocells on Trailers (SPOTs).
Major response efforts this year included:
Wildfire Response:
To help enable mission-critical voice and data service during fire mitigation efforts in locations across the country, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team delivered close to 2,000 Verizon Frontline solutions to public safety agencies conducting wildfire response operations in 2024.
The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team responded to close to 250 requests for support from wildland firefighters battling blazes everywhere from New Mexico, to Oregon and Washington.
Hurricane Response:
The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team supported public safety agencies and the communities they serve during three major hurricanes in 2024: Helene, Milton and Beryl. Hurricane Helene alone saw more than 600 Verizon Frontline solutions delivered to over 115 public safety agencies in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina as they dealt with the aftermath of the storm.
Tornado response:
The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team responded to more than 30 requests for support from public safety agencies in 10 different states following tornadoes. The team delivered more than 300 Verizon Frontline solutions to first responders on the front lines of emergency response operations following these severe weather events.
Additional 2024 Responses:
Verizon Frontline solutions were also deployed in support of public safety agencies:
- To provide connectivity to agencies impacted by ransomware attacks.
- During dozens of training exercises involving federal, state and local agencies.
- During major public events such as sporting events and airshows.
- During both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions
In addition to the Crisis Response Team support, Verizon Frontline also debuted two new deployable assets in 2024.
2024 also saw Verizon Frontline announce a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), signing a three-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to explore new strategies to rapidly deploy uncrewed aircraft systems to collect and distribute imagery of damage resulting from severe storms such as tornadoes or hurricanes.
Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies – to meet their unique and evolving needs.