By Rich Pollack
Information can be critical for first responders racing to an emergency. The more comprehensive the information, the better.
Knowing who lives in a house — pets included — before they respond to a fire can help emergency crews ensure everyone is out safely.
Knowing the code to a gate or which neighbor has a key to an apartment can make it possible for paramedics to access a patient sooner; and knowing what medications a patient is on can help establish a possible protocol while help is on the way.
Now Highland Beach Fire Rescue is among a small group of departments in the area pioneering a new technology that allows residents to provide what could be lifesaving information into a secure database that will automatically pop up on a screen first responders see when responding to an emergency call.
Called First Due Community Connect, the new system is entirely voluntary and makes it possible for the fire department to store information that can eliminate surprises and unexpected obstacles.
“Community Connect helps us provide residents with the best level of service based on their needs if information is given to us before an emergency,” says Assistant Chief for Operations Tom McCarthy.
In responding to a call, firefighters and paramedics often have information provided to them by dispatch operators who are trained to ask callers pertinent questions. With Community Connect, however, the information available to first responders is much more detailed and includes what residents think rescuers need to know.
An example, McCarthy says, is information a resident can provide to let emergency crews know if there is someone in a house or apartment who has special needs. If someone is in a wheelchair or bedridden, for example, it will help first responders en route to a fire know that they’ll have to focus on helping that person out of the building.
“It helps us on our game planning,” McCarthy says.
Residents who register can enter information in four areas. Under “household information,” the system asks if there are residents under 18, if it’s an apartment building, and does it have an elevator or pool. The system also asks if there is a meeting place, perhaps outside the home, where everyone will gather in case of an evacuation.
The system also allows residents to put in any additional information about the home they think first responders should know.
Residents can also provide information about home medical equipment, including oxygen, and pet information, including photos and veterinarian contact information.
McCarthy says that one of the biggest changes in the ability of firefighters and paramedics to respond faster has been technology that makes it more efficient to access patients.
Since Highland Beach Fire Rescue launched in May, firefighters and paramedics have walked through all the buildings in town, getting familiar with all the access points and possible obstacles.
Community Connect, McCarthy says, puts that information at the fingertips of emergency crews.
“Being able to gain rapid access is important,” he says. “All of these things can help eliminate ‘time bandits.’”
The cost of the system to the town is about $20,000 a year, and McCarthy says that the Highland Beach department is one of the first to use it, although other area departments have expressed interest.
Residents can sign up for Community Connect at www.communityconnect.io/info/fl-highlandbeach.
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