Community Connect program gives Fort Myers firefighters critical details before arriving

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

The Fort Myers Fire Department is using Community Connect, a program that lets residents upload essential information to assist firefighters during emergencies.

When a fire breaks out, firefighters often arrive with limited information about the residents, pets, or special needs in the home. Cathy Gage shared her concerns about how this can impact individuals who are deaf.

"How do I let them know that that person who lives in that house is fully deaf?" Gage said.

She explained that being unable to hear firefighters during an emergency can be overwhelming and unsafe.

"It is a little overwhelming, not them knowing how to communicate, I would feel, not really safe," Gage said.

Joseph Mendez, captain of the City of Fort Myers Fire Department, explained how Community Connect addresses these challenges.

"When we respond to a 911 call, the only information we get is whatever the 911 caller provides us," Mendez said. "And the issue with that is that during emergency situations, sometimes you're so frantic you forget to give vital information. So having some of this information beforehand allows us to be more prepared to better assess the situation, going into that situation."

Once residents fill out their information, it becomes accessible to firefighters on their way to the emergency.

"When we get dispatched to the call, we get something called CAG notes. It's whatever dispatch provides us to give us information going to that address. And this actually populates on a separate field in that area that gives us additional information that whatever you have providing on the website," Mendez said.

Gulf Coast News visited the Sally J. Pimentel Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center to share the life-saving program.

"Communication is the key. When you're a firefighter, and you're calling out in the middle of a fire, and they're not answering you, it could be the difference between life or death," said Amy Turner, executive director of the center.

Residents can include as much or as little information as they want, such as hiding spots for pets or details about individuals with special needs.

"You can put, like, common hiding spots for animals. Maybe if someone in a house has special needs and that they may be prone to hiding and different situations, emergency situations. That's good information for us to know as responders," Mendez said.

Turner emphasized the importance of this program for families with pets and other specific needs.

"I know with having two dogs myself, knowing that when they arrive on scene that they'll already know what they're looking for and that shaves seconds off of that safety," Turner said.

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