In times of crisis, our people are ready to do whatever it takes (safely, of course), to make sure our customers are able to stay in service.
Hurricane Ian provided the latest example of this when it made landfall on September 28 and devastated parts of the west coast of Florida. As a category 4 hurricane, Ian wasn’t confined to a small area. Its force was felt far north through the Carolinas, and included many of the areas we serve.
The weather made it impossible for our technicians to go out in the field for installations and repairs, but we still had a network to run and maintain.
Our team members rallied to keep our communities online and showed their unrelenting commitment to Building Gigabit America. Thanks to our fiber technology and their commitment to keeping our customers connected, we were able to get back to business as usual.
While Ian’s winds were battering the coast, network technicians Lakisha Roundtree and Bob Welch sheltered in place at a company critical facility in Tampa during the worst of the hurricane. They put everything else aside to make sure that if a service-affecting network event occurred, someone would be on hand to act at a moment’s notice.
Building services techs Steve Wilson, based in Odessa, and Fred Fedornak, based in Brandon, teamed up after reports came in that the Land O Lakes central-office generator didn’t come online after a commercial power failure in the area. Steve and Fred responded immediately during the storm to make sure the office was stable and back on commercial power.
James Goodin, a network technician in Bradenton, answered the call when Operations Director Emmett Larry reached out to him after receiving word from our Network Operations Center (NOC) near midnight that the Palmetto central office was down.
Despite the conditions outside, James braved the storm to check the Central Office and diagnose the trouble. It turned out the generator wasn’t running. James checked the fuses, reset them, got the generator running, and was able to restore service. He then proceeded to work with the NOC to reset all power supplies to restore the switch for dial tone and verified that all data and transport devices came back online.
Emmett said he was very pleased with how swiftly James and the other technicians did what needed to be done to minimize any interruption of service.
Ebson Parrish, a materials handler in Bradenton, provided sorely needed help in Hurricane Ian’s wake. As a volunteer with Manatee County’s Search and Rescue team, Ebson was at the wheel when the team sent its light medium tactical vehicle to help deliver water throughout the community.
Doug Dimartino, a sales and service technician II in New Port Richey, is also a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for Hernando County. He volunteers an unpaid 20-30 hours a month to the Sheriff’s Office – time that does not include any requirements for additional training and recertifications. Some of his duties include responding to calls for service (911), traffic enforcement and assisting other deputies.
Doug recently volunteered to assist others who were hardest hit from Hurricane Ian in the Fort Myers area. This area took the brunt of the hurricane’s force, and many people in the area are in severe need. Some of his duties during this deployment will include enforcing state laws, as well as delivering food, water and supplies to those who need them. Doug has taken his vacation time in order to help out the state of Florida.
Our people are the heart of Building Gigabit America, and they work hard every day to keep our customers connected during both times of joy and tragedy. We’re thankful for each team member who went above and beyond to serve our customers after Hurricane Ian.
