Telus moving to protect B.C. communications links  |  June 8, 2007  

Any time a company sends out a press release, the primary motivation is PR. That's not necessarily the only reason, but almost without exception is it the main one.

And so it is with a recent Telus release entitled “600 TELUS technicians on stand-by for flood response.” The company has activated its Emergency Management Operations Centre (EMOC), which will coordinate “the company’s preparations for and response to potential flooding across B.C.”

Also from the release: “Crews have spent the last few weeks wrapping more than 3,000 curbside equipment cabinets in plastic and erecting water barriers around dozens of buildings, home to telecommunications equipment in Lower Mainland and Interior communities at risk of flooding. More than 600 Telus technicians are trained for flood response duties and on 24/7 stand-by. Telus’ two SATCOLTS (satellite cellsite on light truck) are standing by to provide emergency communication to first responders. Telus has also pooled more than 1,000 cellphones and radios that will be made available to first responders if required.”

Telus is hoping to generate a good public-relations vibe by sending out a release on this, and you know what? It deserves that good vibe. With memories of post-Katrina New Orleans still fresh in our minds, it's great to hear that the company is taking proactive steps to keep communications running. The almost complete communications breakdown—and the pitiful preparation of city, state and federal authorities to deal with that—was one of the defining factors in what happened in New Orleans.

Telus could have done all of its prep and decided not to send out a press release on it, but I cannot fault the company for mixing in a little marketing with its civil-minded actions. And in any case, I have not seen any information on what other telcos are doing in the area. Anyone in B.C. heard from Bell Canada or Shaw?

Flood information is at www.pep.bc.ca.

Peter Wolchak