The lack of cellphone service in order to reach first responders for medical or search and rescue response on the Seward Highway corridor is cause for concern among many who drive from the Kenai Peninsula up to Anchorage.
Senate President Peter Micciche is calling on the user group that assisted in the reopening of the Silvertip Station for help, “So if you divide the highway in half, there are projects going in right now to improve cell service from the Y to the Sterling area. We think that’ll be in pretty good shape. What we’re worried about is the Seward cutoff or the Y to the Girdwood area where there’s probably 60 miles of very poor service. What that means is if you think of two families, one going to Anchorage and one coming back on a winter night, they have an accident, they have to wait for someone to come along if it’s a serious accident and that person has to send someone to find cell service before they’re able to even notify first responders if there’s been an accident. Because of that lack of service, we’ve had a loss of life on many occasions through the years just simply because of the time it takes to respond. From a public safety perspective, it’s a huge exposure to the families, truckers and first responders of the Kenai and Anchorage. We’re hoping to find some resolution here in the next year or so.”
Micciche hopes to increase survivability of these accidents by cutting down on response times. He says that one possible consideration would be low altitude satellites that could provide wireless communication for individuals and emergency responders. He admits that some of the solutions are expensive and that the region is a relatively small market with limited providers.
To get involved, Sen. Micciche encourages you to reach out to his office through email [email protected] or by phone (907) 283-7996 or (907) 465-2828.
