DeSoto unveils Community Connect portal to share household emergency details with 911 responders

DeSoto officials on Sept. 14 introduced “Community Connect,” a no‑cost portal tied to the city’s 1st Due records-management system that allows residents to register home layout, occupant medical needs, emergency contacts and even pet photos so that the information appears automatically for responders when 911 is called. Interim Deputy City Manager Brian Southard said the portal is live and the fire department and dispatchers have been trained to use it.

“Community Connect is where residents can voluntarily sign up and share with us whatever they want or whatever they don’t want,” Southard said, adding that information is HIPAA‑secure and will show on a responder’s screen only when an emergency call is placed to the address. Chief Bridal Whitaker said only the fire chief, assistant fire chief and department administrators have back‑end access, and that Cedar Hill and Duncanville units will see the same information when they respond through the shared SWRCC dispatch platform.

Council members asked about access controls, audit frequency and interoperability with other agency systems; Southard said audits can be run weekly or monthly and that Parkland’s system would not be integrated at launch. The city plans outreach and three workshops in October ahead of an October 1 target to go fully live with the fire department’s rollout; officials said marketing, QR codes and a short explanatory video will be posted on city platforms.