The door of an Ashland Fire & Rescue fire truck.

A new Ashland city program dubbed “Community Connect” allows residents to input information that could assist first responders as they answer calls for service.

Through an online portal, residents can give first responders information the responders can access on their way to answering calls that could be helpful to know — such as if there are pets in a home and how many there are, if anyone in a home or a business has special needs and emergency contact information.

“By providing information about your household that you feel is important for us to know about at the time of an emergency, we can ensure you and everything you care about is protected to the best of our ability,” Ashland Fire & Rescue Chief Ralph Sartain stated on the city’s Community Connect page.

Ashland Fire & Rescue’s addition of the Community Connect software also enables first responders to better work together, said Ashland Fire Marshal Mark Shay. Ashland firefighters often assist or request assistance from regional partners such as Jackson County Fire District No. 5.

First responders used to share PDF files of pre-established plans for emergency scenarios at locations such as a high school. Any update to plans and strategic information would need to be uploaded and sent and could not be updated in the moment. Community Connect allows first responders to share up-to-the-minute updated plans with each other in real time, he said.

The software is free and secures the information it contains, the release said. To enter information or learn more, visit the city’s site.

The Community Connect software is separate from the City’s Citizen Alert system that notifies citizens of an emergency. For emergency alerts and preparedness, visit ashland.or.us/BetterPrepared.

If your Ashland address is outside of City limits, sign up for Community Connect with Jackson County Fire District No. 5 at communityconnect.io/info/or-jackson5.