A new partnership with the Iowa City Fire Department will allow first responders to be more informed of specific circumstances at residences and businesses in the event of an emergency.

The city announced a new partnership last week with an app called Community Connect.

The service costs $5,550 for the city to implement.

Iowa City is among other communities across the U.S. that have announced partnerships with the app, including departments in Spokane Valley, Washington, and Reno, Nevada.

Residents and business owners are asked to register for the app, which can be found on the Iowa City government site or by searching Iowa City Community Connect on Google.

Users can list their phone number in connection with their address as well as what the user thinks may be important for first responders to know.

According to the city’s release, ICFD plans to be at multiple community events throughout the year to help residents register for the service.

The fire department hopes that using this app can increase first responders’ efficiency when responding to calls or emergencies, according to the city’s release.

Iowa City Fire Department Lt. Christian Penick said the city started using the software to keep records, write reports, and more. That software was developed by a company called First Due, which also developed the Community Connect software.

Penick said the registrations in the first week were low, which was expected. He hopes to spread the word and for more people to register with the service.

The app would allow first responders to be aware of hazards like volatile chemicals on business properties or information like garage codes, but only if property owners willingly submit this information. The app keeps a profile for each user.

First responders’ possession of this information is beneficial to handling emergencies faster and safer, Penick said.

Penick said the service is an internal network and is encrypted. He also said there is no quantity requirement for information but hopes to see more people register to include information.

“You can be as detailed as you want. You can include just a phone number,” Penick said.

Ron Kanter, head of marketing at First Due, said Community Connect began when they realized there is information first responders could never know about a structure ahead of time and that a service like the one they created could help facilitate that.

“The more they know, the better the result is. How can I collect the most life-saving information and make it the most consumable at the time of response,” Kanter said.

Kanter said the service uses bank-level encryption to secure the information provided to Community Connect. Fire departments and other city organizations use similar services already, as Penick stated they have used First Due software for around a year now.

“If you’re comfortable logging into an online bank, you should be comfortable logging into Community Connect,” Kanter said.

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Currently, Iowa City is the only local community to employ Community Connect to help with emergency management, Kanter said.

Chief Orey Schwitzer of the Coralville Fire Department wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan that they do not yet offer a service like Community Connect to Coralville residents.

“We have started to gather information from the business community that we can access during an emergency at their location,” Schwitzer wrote.

Schwitzer stated the program could potentially be of interest to the Coralville Fire Department after conducting future research.