AirTouch Cellular Providing Emergency Communications Assistance to Firefighters Battling Santiago Canyon and Camp Pendleton Fires.IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 2, 1998--Southern Californians rely upon the prompt response and support of emergency crews and relief organizations during emergencies like the Santiago Canyon fire. But who do emergency crews rely on when the heat is on? AirTouch Cellular's Significant Event Response Team (SERT SERT SSP (Space Solar Power) Exploratory Research and Technology SERT Serotonin Transporter SERT State Emergency Response Team SERT Special Emergency Response Team SERT Security Emergency Response Team SERT Student Emergency Response Team ) was deployed Tuesday to provide emergency wireless communications wireless communications System using radio-frequency, infrared, microwave, or other types of electromagnetic or acoustic waves in place of wires, cables, or fibre optics to transmit signals or data. assistance to the Orange County Fire Authority The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for unincorporated areas of Orange County, California and cities that contract OCFA's services. and U.S. Forest Service. SERT provided communications assistance to the fire crews to assist in their coordination efforts in battling the Santiago Canyon and Camp Pendleton fires. Thirty phones and airtime air·time n. 1. The time during which a radio or television station is broadcasting. Also called airspace. 2. The time at which a radio or television program is broadcast. were donated to help coordinate firefighting 1. firefighting - What sysadmins have to do to correct sudden operational problems. An opposite of hacking. "Been hacking your new newsreader?" "No, a power glitch hosed the network and I spent the whole afternoon fighting fires." 2. efforts at the Santiago Canyon fire in Orange County. The company also deployed an enhancer that increased capacity in the area by 25 percent. AirTouch's SERT has been on site, providing communications assistance to fire and emergency crews since Tuesday morning. To assist fire crews at the Camp Pendletonfire, AirTouch's SERT has activated 20 cellular phones that were pre-deployed to the U.S. Forest Service earlier this year in preparation for the fire season. SERT also increased capacity in the area and has been on site, providing communications assistance to fire and emergency crews since Tuesday morning. "It all looks so simple and well-organized," remarked Scott Ward, coordinator of AirTouch's SERT. "But, it requires a great deal of coordination and communication to meet the needs of the people who are putting their lives on the line during a crisis." AirTouch's SERT is a cross-functional group of AirTouch employees who are on-call 24 hours a day to provide support to police, fire, emergency, government agencies and humanitarian organizations in response to major events or emergencies. They also help agencies determine the best locations to establish communications command centers and provide behind-the-scenes preparation and contingency planning. AirTouch's SERT has been working with officials of the Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La , Orange County Fire Authority, U.S. Forest Service, the Red Cross and other organizations in preparation for a busy 1998-1999 fire season. SERT has participated in emergency drills, operational exercises and numerous meetings to ensure fast and effective deployment of communications services. AirTouch Communications is the largest wireless company in the world. AirTouch owns interests in cellular, paging and personal communications services See PCS. in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and 12 other nations, as well as an interest in the Globalstar satellite system. Based on its ownership share of its global ventures, the company serves more than 15 million proportionate pro·por·tion·ate adj. Being in due proportion; proportional. tr.v. pro·por·tion·at·ed, pro·por·tion·at·ing, pro·por·tion·ates To make proportionate. customers (more than 31 million total venture customers).
CONTACT: AirTouch Cellular, Irvine
Cheryl Shaw, 949/222-8571
or
BSMG
Suzi Carragher, 310/966-5523
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