Boulder County, Colorado, covers nearly 750 square miles and spans 9,000 feet of elevation change in the Rocky Mountains. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) knows emergencies can happen anywhere in this rugged terrain, and mountainous areas can cause significant obstacles for public safety communications.
Scott Whitehead, radio shop supervisor for BCSO, explained, “Areas with poor coverage are places where a lot of people like to recreate, especially in the mountains. So, when we need to respond, the poor communications are a challenge for us.”
Gold Hill is one of these areas — a small town located in a remote mountainous area of western Boulder County. Visitors pass through Gold Hill on their way to popular trailheads. Gold Hill is also home to one of the steepest county roads in the U.S., attracting some endurance athletes.
When a scheduled power outage was set to take out landline communications in Gold Hill, connectivity challenges in the area became more significant.
Restoring 9-1-1 connectivity
In March 2025, the local power company in Gold Hill planned power outages to replace infrastructure and do general maintenance. Landlines were going to be impacted, and local fire chiefs were concerned about the town’s residents being able to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency as most residents rely on landline communications.
The chiefs worked with BCSO to establish a plan for when the power was out so that residents could maintain access to 9-1-1. “We discussed some no-technology, old school approaches to communication and response, like increasing patrols in the area. That is when the FirstNet CRD [compact rapid deployable] came to mind,” explained Steve Silbermann, BCSO 9-1-1 communications director.
CRDs are mobile cell sites that provide broadband connectivity via satellite and don’t require commercial power. These assets are included in the FirstNet deployable fleet and are available for agencies to own and maintain. BCSO owns a CRD, giving them the ability to deploy on-demand coverage when and where they need it. Whitehead noted, “We don’t have to call FirstNet to bring resources. It's our own thing that we can set up when we need it. That's a game changer.”
When a wireless 9-1-1 call is placed, the signal is sent to the nearest tower, regardless of carrier. Due to the town’s remote location, cellular coverage is spotty in Gold Hill. BCSO hoped the CRD would provide the coverage needed for residents and visitors to still access 9-1-1. It also would allow responders to communicate while responding in the area.
Whitehead and his team deployed their CRD to Gold Hill before the outage. The team tested calls and texts to 9-1-1 and confirmed the town had the access they needed throughout the outage, regardless of cellular carrier. Silbermann explained, “It gave us an opportunity to provide a service to the community and ensure any wireless phone in the area could call for help. It also gave us the chance to test a resource that we hadn't used in that capacity.”
Serving Boulder County
Although there were no 9-1-1 calls during the power outage, the BCSO team was grateful to know the community could get help with the support of the CRD.
“We've been able to creatively leverage the CRD positively for our organization and for the public in Boulder County,” explained Division Chief Brian Zierlein. “At the end of the day, that's who we're here to serve.”
