Joao-Pierre S. Ruth, Senior EditorJanuary 16, 20254 Min ReadFlame front of the Eaton Fire on the first night during the January 2025 California wildfires in Altadena and Los Angeles.Timothy Swope via Alamy Stock PhotoSatellite-based communication helped clear up some of the smoke and confusion that arose from the LA County wildfires that tore into Southern California.Firefighters, who came from across the country, Canada, and Mexico, contained a number of the devastating fires that began the first week of 2025 but some of the largest patches of flame continue to burn.Rescue and recovery efforts require cohesive communication, for individuals and emergency responders, in such a widespread disaster. So far, the infernos across the region consumed collectively more than 40,000 acres of land, destroyed entire communities, and claimed at least 24 lives.Companies such as Intrado and Cisco offer resources that can help ensure clear lines of communication remain available during disasters that might disrupt standard means of staying connected. What happens in these disaster situations is traditional networks may have impacts to them because of the nature of hurricanes or fires and knocks out the traditional communication what were all used to, says Josh Burch, vice president of product operations at Intrado.That might include cellular, landline, VoIP, or voice over Wi-Fi networks, he says. In such instances, Burch says the use of satellite-based communication, including direct to device satellite communication, may come into play.Related:Two to three years ago, something like this wouldnt even have been possible, Burch says. The ability for satellite constellations to communicate with wireless handsets is now possible in certain scenarios.That communication might be limited to text communication in certain circumstances but can still allow emergency messages to be transmitted by individuals who might otherwise lose contact and service on their phones, Burch says. Intrado has processed more than 2,000 TXT29-1-1 messages in LA county since the wildfires began.The LA County wildfires saw Cisco called into action to provide support to agencies tasked with rescue and relief efforts.To avoid confusion in already challenging circumstances, Cisco Crisis Response Director Erin Connors says the Cisco team gets rolling only after they make contact with the emergency response agencies that focus on critical infrastructure, government continuity, aid delivery, and public safety. She says her team leverages Cisco resources, funding, technology, and expertise to connect vulnerable communities in crisis.In the case of the LA fires, there has been some degradation to cellular infrastructure, but not extensively, Connors says. Her team is made up of emergency response network engineers who can deploy in the event of emergencies. We dont self-deploy; its always at the request of partner agencies that are on the ground that have an expressed need that we can meet.Related:For the LA County fires, Connors says her team received requests from state and local response agencies for such needs as connectivity support for command posts and incident management teams. In a lot of cases, this is where theyre setting up new offices, she says. There might still be some backhaul or cellular connectivity, but if theyre setting up new field offices to be able to coordinate and manage their relief activities, they need network infrastructure.Cisco lent satellite backhaul where needed, Connors says, pairing Cisco Meraki security appliances to secure the network. All this goes toward managing and prioritizing network traffic to help response centers deliver services to affected citizens, she says. You can block Netflix streaming, for example, so that doesnt actually take up all the bandwidth for really critical communications to manage response efforts.Resources Cisco brings to bear for such disasters include equipment or remote guidance while the emergency response agencies look for longer-term solutions. Connors says Ciscos response team continues to provide remote support for the recovery from Hurricane Helene and also lent support in response to the 2023 fires in Maui. The team not only works with government agencies, but also supports nonprofit organizations and provides community Wi-Fi and shelters, she says.Related:Though the LA County wildfires covered a vast breadth of geography and cause widespread damage and displacement, Connors says the situation has not necessarily affected the resources Cisco made available. That is despite the challenge of oversight and communication needed to coordinate support from across international. There is just a lot more to manage for all of the agencies, she says. That maybe is a little bit different.Evolution of satellite technology such as Starlink, Connors says, made these types of resources more accessible and affordable to put into play during such crises. Thats been a big game changer.In prior years, Connors says, when Cisco first offered crisis response, resources had to be deployed in person with skilled technicians to set up and manage the network. Nowadays, she says, with Cisco Meraki the equipment can be shipped to location, is relatively easy to install, and features remote support. AI can also be used to scan for threats and troubleshoot the systems, making it easier to manage without always needing boots on the ground for technology to deliver support to agencies that respond to a disaster. We dont necessarily need to fly in, deploy, set it up, and be there long term, Connors says.About the AuthorJoao-Pierre S. RuthSenior EditorJoao-Pierre S. Ruth covers tech policy, including ethics, privacy, legislation, and risk; fintech; code strategy; and cloud & edge computing for InformationWeek. He has been a journalist for more than 25 years, reporting on business and technology first in New Jersey, then covering the New York tech startup community, and later as a freelancer for such outlets as TheStreet, Investopedia, and Street Fight.See more from Joao-Pierre S. 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