MORRISBURG – If the fire department is called to your home or business is there anything you want them to know even before they arrive on scene?
Now everyone has the chance to equip South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services personnel with all the information they want them to have in an emergency.
It could be anything as straightforward as who to contact in case of emergency, as important as a family member with special needs or mobility issues, as simple as the number of people/pets in the household, to anything as detailed as a house layout plan with potential hazards such as an electric car in the garage, a household genset.
This week the Municipality of South Dundas and South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services is rolling out the Community Connect portal, which allows residents and business owners to create their own profiles through a simple online process.
As soon as it’s available for use the link will be available through the municipal website.
“It’s a great system,” said South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services Fire Chief Jeremy Alldred-Hughes. “You create one profile, adding as much or as little information as you wish,” he said adding the participation is complete voluntary and free of charge.
He further explained that if SDFES is dispatched to your property, firefighters can then access this information on the ipads that all trucks are equipped with so firefighters know what to expect when they arrive on scene.
While this alone is an extremely valuable tool, Alldred-Hughes explained that there are huge benefits on the administrative side.
Starting January 1, all burn permits will be issued through this portal, including those that require payment.
“Gone will be the days of phoning the office to notify us,” said Alldred-Hughes.
Along with streamlining the burn permit process, it will also simply the process of notifying permit holders of burn bans. “We will be able to do that with one push of a button rather than the hours of phone calls it used to take to notify permit holders of a ban.”
The process of creating a profile is fairly user-friendly, but All dred-Hughes said that anyone who wants to create a profile with the assistance is welcome to call the municipality and set up an appointment to get help. “We are happy to help,” added Hughes.
Profiles can not only be created for residential use, they can also be created for commercial properties including farms.
“This is a great tool, not only for the fire service, but for our community,” said Alldred-Hughes.
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