The Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) has announced a new and innovative way to better protect people and property, thanks to a recent partnership with Community Connect.
Community Connect is a free platform for sharing critical information about households or businesses. By sharing helpful information that residents and business owners feel is important, ICFD firefighters will be better equipped to protect the community as efficiently as possible.
The platform gives first responders access to critical information about homes or businesses while en route to an emergency, in order to provide a faster and more efficient response. By knowing information such as garage codes or areas of the building that are difficult to access, ICFD firefighters will be able to develop an action plan to achieve the best possible outcome.
Interested community members can create a free account at https://www.communityconnect.io/info/ia-iowacity.
Individuals can choose from two types of Community Connect profiles: Residents or Business Owners. Once the profile is created, share information that may help firefighters responding to a home or business in an emergency based on the categories provided within the platform.
For example, those creating a residential profile may include information on their property, such as who lives in the home and their specific needs, as well as information regarding household pets.
Business owners can provide information on fire control systems, emergency contact information, employees with specific needs, and any images or documents outlining emergency plans.
“All data uploaded to Community Connect is safe and secure and will only be used to aid in an emergency response,” a news release from the city said.
ICFD will make appearances in the community at different events this year to help residents register for Community Connect. Vist https://www.communityconnect.io/faq/ia-iowacity for frequently asked questions and follow Iowa City Public Safety on Facebook to be notified of upcoming events.
