John Whitford donates communication services for fire evacuees
Red Cross volunteers at an evacuation center stand in front of a ‘Communications on Wheels’ provided by John Whitford Communications.
– When the Cuesta Fire forced Santa Margarita area residents to flee to an evacuation center, John Whitford Communications stepped up and offered the center free communications services. Last Wednesday the company delivered a COW, or Communications on Wheels, to the Red Cross evacuation center at Santa Rosa School in Atascadero.
The mobile unit gave Red Cross personnel and evacuees the ability to communicate with high-speed WiFi and view local TV channels for updates on the fire conditions. The unit is set up and provided free of charge for just this type of need. Satellites can provide communications when cellular service and land lines go down, says local business owner John Whitford.
“Providing communications to the community in time of need is critical, people can contact loved ones and keep up to date on the situations at hand,” says Whitford. “This is exactly why I built this unit, it’s my way of giving back.”
John Whitford Communications is a member of the Satellite Broadcasting Communications Association. The association sponsors the “Satellite Cares Program,” a national effort to provide communications during disasters.
