A new temporary cell tower is providing service for Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department members to communicate and reach 911 or additional services if needed. (submitted photo/Damon James)

By Alex Rawnsley

SERVICE OUTAGE

‘We’ve heard nothing:’ Gabriola Island first responders in the dark on restoration of 911 & phone services

Dec 2, 2022 | 12:16 PM

GABRIOLA ISLAND — A permanent fix for thousands without phone, cell or internet service may be upwards of a month away.

Services dropped on Gabriola Island on Tuesday, Nov. 29 when a communications line connecting Mudge Island and Vancouver Island was severed during the winter storm. Gabriola residents piggyback their services through Mudge Island.

It means no home internet, extremely spotty cell phone service and no landline phones including the ability to call 911 for help.

“We currently have a mobile cell tower at Fire Hall #1 which is helping with our communications,” Will Sprogis, Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department chief told NanaimoNewsNOW. “It’s hard for outside callers to call 911, they can’t call with a landline so they have to call the Fire Hall and we can get a 911 call out.”

Sprogis said as he understands it, people on Island can contact each other provided they’re on the same company’s service.

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It means TELUS customers can talk to other Gabriola Island TELUS customers, while Shaw subscribers can call other Shaw numbers. Calls off the Island via landline phones are still not going through.

But through no fault of his own, Sprogis may not have all the information.

“The communications from TELUS to the Fire Hall have been quite poor, they haven’t really reached out to give us a timeline.”

The severed connection line cutting off residents from many communications services. (submitted photo/Tyler Gray)

The silence has emergency services on Island and residents relying on third-hand information to know when things might return to normal.

“We are looking at Sunday (Dec. 4) at the earliest for a band-aid solution and a month to properly fix this, but this is all third-hand information,” Sprogis added. “We’ve asked TELUS to reach out to the Fire Department but we’ve heard nothing from them which is a bit frustrating.”

An update from TELUS at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 simply said “service restoration efforts continue” and no timeline for work to be completed was offered.

A statement sent via email late Thursday, Dec. 1 said TELUS was reconfiguring cell towers to increase coverage but there was no timeline to restore full service.

Sprogis, again using indirect information, said a band-aid solution over the weekend could restore 911 service, but couldn’t handle the data needs for internet and television.

He advised local residents to work together with their neighbours and ensure those who need regular check-ins are receiving them.

Local non-profit groups and staff from Island Health are also re-doubling checks on people they work with, including seniors.

Anyone who needs more direct care can reach out to the Fire Hall.

“We were proactive as soon as we recognized the cable was broken between Mudge Island and Vancouver Island, we staffed our fire hall to be a reception centre for people having emergencies so we can get that information out to 911,” Sprogis said.

Members will be at the Fire Hall around the clock until at least Sunday, with plans in the works for additional service if required.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley