I am excited to make our readers aware of a solution that our friends at First Due, in partnership with the IAFC, are providing to public safety agencies nationwide at NO COST. First Due is releasing a version of Community Connect for COVID-19 specifically designed to help us track and manage Coronavirus and high-risk/functional needs occupants within our communities. We’ve heard from many of you how difficult it is to manage the exact location of high-risk residents, those who are experiencing symptoms or those who have indeed tested positive; as a result, our personnel continue to be exposed and quarantined. I believe this is a vital piece of infrastructure that will aid us in better protecting our crews and community throughout the crisis and beyond. Credentialed access is only available to Public Safety and Healthcare Agencies. I strongly recommend everyone visit https://www.firstduesizeup.com/communityconnect/covid-19 to learn more, request access to the system and encourage your community to #selfreport now. 

The platform is secure, HIPAA compliant and allows anyone to anonymously self-report COVID-19 and high-risk occupant related information. This data is instantly made available to your agency in both First Due and GISplatforms such as Esri ArcGIS for situational awareness, strategic analysis, and decision-making. Although case data published by organizations such as CDC, is available, much of this is after formal test results, often delayed and only recorded at State, County or City levels, leaving a major gap in understanding the health status of residents when crews respond. First Due Community Connect for COVID-19 helps fill this gap at this time of need.