At the request of the US Forest Service, a Union Wireless emergency response team deployed a COW (Cell Site on Wheels) on Friday to re-establish cell phone service for fire fighters and other emergency responders fighting the Badger Creek Fire in Albany County, Wyoming. Normal service was lost when commercial power was intentionally disconnected, a standard procedure when infrastructure is threatened by fire.
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The Forest Service request came on Wednesday, June 13. A deployment plan was immediately put in place, but because of safety concerns, it was not possible to deliver the COW and restore service for another 48 hours.
Standard operating procedure when using a COW in response to a natural disaster is to provide compatible cell phones to key personnel who might use a cell service not compatible with Union’s network.
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In the past, Union Wireless has also deployed COWs in response to forest fires in its service area in Wyoming and Colorado. “We see our ability to restore cellular service in areas hit by fires as an important tool to help fire fighters and rescuers coordinate their activities,†says Chief Customer Relations Officer, Brian Woody. “These systems can potentially save lives.â€
