PEABODY — The Fire Department has launched a new program that will help protect residents during emergency situations.
The Community Connect program allows residents and businesses to share critical information about their homes and businesses in order to help first responders respond faster and more effectively in an emergency to minimize injury and property damage.
“We are always looking for ways to better serve the citizens of Peabody,” said Fire Chief Joseph Daly. “For this reason we are rolling out a new program to protect our residents and their property in the most effective way possible. By providing information about your household that you feel is important for us to know about at the time of an emergency, we can ensure you and everything you care about is protected to the best of our ability.”
Program participants are asked to provide relevant information on household members, including information disclosing the presence of occupants with special needs or conditions, as well as information about family pets.
The program is voluntary and there is no charge to participate. Information is completely confidential and will be used solely by emergency responders.
Community Connect is secured by an encryption available only to first responders logged into the same application that they use to view calls received from dispatchers.
Residents create a profile, disclosing as much or as little information as they are comfortable sharing. Each profile is tied to a specific address and email address. Residents should use their personal email addresses when registering their households and business owners should use business email addresses.
Residents are encouraged to share information including residence type, whether or not the home has fire sprinklers and whether the family has a designated meeting space for emergencies — which the department says improve its ability to respond and make decisions during an emergency.
Other helpful information includes the name of the person to contact in the event of an emergency who can alert first responders if there are any potential hazardous conditions and help locate all occupants. Residents are encouraged to provide information of whether any occupants have mobility or other functional needs or disabilities that may require additional assistance. For families with children, information about any hiding places within the home or special sensitivities that may exist helps first responders react more effectively. Residents can also provide photos of the interior of the home as well as the occupants (including pets) for quicker detection.
Business owners should provide uploaded images and documents outlining emergency plans and other procedures staff members and guests will be following during an emergency. Information on fire control systems and alarms and the presence of any hazardous materials should be provided. Businesses should also provide contact information (including cell phone numbers) so the department can send a text message informing the user that the department has been called to the property during an emergency.
Community Connect is designed to be user friendly and fully accessible. It can be configured on any internet-connected device.
For those who are unable to create a profile, a friend or family member can create it. Or they simply contact the Community Connect administrator at the fire department for assistance.
“Community Connect is a free, secure and easy to use platform that allows you to share critical information about your household that will aid first responders and emergency response personnel when responding to your residence,” Daly said.
To set up a Community Connection profile, go to https://www.communityconnect.io/info/ma-peabody.
