Residents can upload critical information to help first responders

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department launched a new program, Community Connect, that allows residents to share critical information about their household that will aid first responders during an emergency.

The kinds of information that can be stored in Community Connect includes the names and contact information for residents; information about pets; and whether there are residents with special needs, such as Alzheimer’s, autism or mobility, hearing, or visual impairments.

Residents can also report information about their homes, such as where the bedrooms are located, whether there are smoke detectors and sprinklers, gate and door codes, whether there is a pool or a basement, how to shut off water and electricity, and the location of the family’s meeting place.

There’s also a Community Connect portal for business owners.

Information shared through Community Connect is secure, the FCFRD states, and will only be accessed by fire department personnel responding to an emergency. “Your information is never used for any other purpose.”