Howard County Community Connect

Together, Building a Safer Community, Through Prevention, Preparedness & Response

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Completion of this form in no way guarantees that the registered individual will receive immediate or preferential treatment in a disaster.
Individuals should maintain a personal emergency plan.
Residents
Business Owners

WHAT IS COMMUNITY CONNECT?

A Quick Message from
the Fire Chief of the Howard County Fire and Rescue
Authority Headshot

The mission of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services is to maintain a safe environment and a high quality of life in Howard County by educating, protecting, and serving our residents, members, and visitors. We are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of everyone in our community. To strengthen our ability to respond effectively during emergencies, we are pleased to offer Community Connect to all residents. This free and secure program allows you to share information you believe would be helpful to first responders before they arrive at your home. This may include special household considerations, important medical information, or any other details you feel we should know. Having this information in advance enables us to better prepare, respond more efficiently, and provide the best possible support during stressful situations. Community Connect is one more way we work to protect you and the people you care about.

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Fire Chief Louis G. Winston

How does it work?

The Number One

Create an account

Sign in for free and get started doing your part. It just takes your email, phone number and address.

The Number Two

Enter the info that matters most

Enter valuable information that can help us assist more effectively during an emergency.

The Number 3

Help your Fire Department when seconds count

That’s it. Just keep us updated when things change over time so we can always be prepared.

The Number 3

Help your EMS when seconds count

That’s it. Just keep us updated when things change overtime so we can always be prepared.

Video Transcript
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Agency, we are here to ensure we do whatever it takes to protect you and your family. However, there are many valuable pieces of critical information that can help save lives and property that we don’t know until we arrive. Things like how many occupants to expect at your home, whether anyone has access or functional needs or speaks another language, if you have any livestock, where the bedrooms are located, or even where hazardous materials may be found.

But now, with Community Connect, you have the power to keep us informed of nearly everything that matters so we can better serve you in an emergency. Community Connect is a safe and secure online program available at no cost to all residents. It allows you to provide us with critical property information that we can access during a response.

What are some examples of the kind of information you can contribute? You can provide details about:

Family members who live at your residence.

Where your family members are located.

Features of your home, such as a pool.

Utilities like water and electricity.

Functional mobility needs, including Alzheimer’s, autism, severe visual impairments, and pets.

No matter what happens, your family members' needs are known. Signing up is easy from any internet-enabled device using your phone number or email address. Rest assured, all of your data is safe and available for our responders during an emergency. If you have five minutes, please select your profile and get started helping your first responders help you.

What kinds of information can I provide?

Any information you provide through Community Connect is completely voluntary and based on what you are comfortable sharing. We have made it easy for you to know what may be important by organizing your secure portal into buckets of information you can enter.

A house.

Your Property

Understanding critical information such as your residence type, whether or not you have fire sprinklers, or designated family meeting places, improves our ability to respond and make decisions during an emergency.

A family.

Your People

Let us know who is best to contact in case of an emergency. Your contacts can help us with everything from access, to how to deal with potential hazards or locate occupants. Getting in touch helps us better communicate at the time when it’s needed most.

A man in a wheelchair.

Your Needs

If you or members of your family have mobility or other types of functional needs that may require additional assistance, letting us know means we can plan accordingly and respond more quickly to those needs.

A dog and a cat. They are friends.

Your Pets

Your pets are part of the family too. We want to make sure that we are able to evacuate pets and best handle them as best we can during an incident. Tell us about any type of pet at your residence – even take a photo so we can spot them easily!

What kinds of information can I provide?

For Households
For Businesses

Any information you provide through Community Connect is completely voluntary and based on what you are comfortable sharing. We have made it easy for you to know what may be important by organizing your secure portal into buckets of information you can enter.

A house.

Your Property

Understanding critical information such as your residence type, whether or not you have fire sprinklers, or designated family meeting places, improves our ability to respond and make decisions during an emergency.

A family.

Your People

Let us know who is best to contact in case of an emergency. Your contacts can help us with everything from access, to how to deal with potential hazards or locate occupants. Getting in touch helps us better communicate at the time when it’s needed most.

A man in a wheelchair.

Your Needs

If you or members of your family have mobility or other types of functional needs that may require additional assistance, letting us know means we can plan accordingly and respond more quickly to those needs.

A dog and a cat. They are friends.

Your Pets

Your pets are part of the family too. We want to make sure that we are able to evacuate pets and best handle them as best we can during an incident. Tell us about any type of pet at your residence – even take a photo so we can spot them easily!

Enable your business, school, age-care facility or other public location First Responders with critical information, valuable emergency plans and more - available at a moment's notice in the event of an incident. Stay aware with notifications from First Responders through text messages in the event they are ever dispatched to your property.

A house.

Your Plans

Upload images and documents outlining your plans in case of different types of emergencies. Let your First Responders know what procedures you, your staff, and your guests will be following in case of an emergency.

A family.

Your People

If you or people at your facility have mobility or other types of functional needs that may require additional assistance, letting us know means we can plan accordingly and respond more quickly and effectively.

A man in a wheelchair.

Your Property

Keep us aware of the most important access and utility details, your fire control systems, if there are hazardous materials on-site and other key pieces of critical building information.

A dog and a cat. They are friends.

Your Contact Info

Enter your contact details - we'll send you a text message to inform you and/ or the members of your team in the event that we are ever called to your property during an emergency.

A lit match.A lit match.

Burn Permitting Policy

In addition to Community Connect enabling your First Responders to better protect your property and family’s well-being, you can also handle all Burn Permitting within the Community Connect portal. Access, manage, and seek approval for burns within the same account you use to manage your property and its occupants.

How secure is my data and how is it used?

Data that you provide Community Connect is secure and is used only for the purpose of better serving you during emergency situations. Your information is never used for any other purpose. All logins are password protected with bank level encryption and security. If you’re comfortable logging in to your online bank you’ll be comfortable logging in to Community Connect.

Mobile device sending information securely to first responders

Community Connect is

Safe & Secure

COMMUNITY CONNECt IN THE NEWS

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