North Texas warehouse becomes training hub for AT&T’s National Disaster Response Team

AT&T trains disaster support teams in North Texas

Ever lose cell phone connection in your home during a storm? AT&T is trying to help prevent that. It spent this week training disaster recovery support teams in North Texas. FOX 4's Alex Boyer has more.

A group of AT&T trainees are from 14 different states, as they spent the last two days getting hands-on experience in how to respond to a natural disaster.

Building the Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) Team

What we know:

The training took place at an AT&T warehouse in North Texas, where a lot of their state-of-the-art equipment is stored.

The group is made up of everyday AT&T employees who want to be trained to become part of the company's Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) support team. The NDR support team helps to establish critical connectivity, like cell and internet service, for customers and first responders. 

Recent deployments have included hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. The team went to Kerr County last July, following the deadly flood that killed over one hundred people, including 27 girls at Camp Mystic.

Hands-on training for real-world emergencies

Local perspective:

Kelly Morrison is on AT&T’s NDR team and told FOX 4 about the training taking place.

"This team is learning how to chain-down equipment to a flatbed trailer critical to the safety of people on the highway and safety of the equipment. It's not a task everyone knows how to do, so we bring them a hands-on task, letting them practice that in this kind of environment."

Trainees learned how to operate a forklift in order to load and unload giant generators off a flat bed. They were also taught how to stage and operate emergency communications equipment.

Restoring vital connections

Dig deeper:

The group is from all across the country, including Victor Mesa from Los Angeles. Mesa worked on the devastating wildfires last year.

"Yeah, we were working long days just go, go, go. We were there for our mission, trying to get communication up, get people talking. It was pretty rough. 

Mesa described exactly what the team has been learning so far.

"We've been learning about all this equipment, forklifts," said Mesa. "At first, I'd never done it before. At first, I was a little nervous about it. Once you get the hang of it and follow their instructions, it's pretty straightforward," said Mesa.

Mesa says the hardest part is getting used to using all the different levers in order to move the forklift.

What's next:

Everyone that spoke to FOX 4 said they were motivated by the desire to help people, and they will soon be doing just that.