When you launch FIREFIGHTER CONNECT for the first time, the app will also help you “join” or “claim” your fire station. If you are a member of multiple stations, start by choosing your primary fire station first (you may join other additional fire stations later).

If you are the very first member of your department to connect, FIREFIGHTER CONNECT will ask you to “claim” the station. You will need to know your individual fire station identification number to “claim” the station and to become a FIREFIGHTER CONNECT local station administrator for your colleagues. As an administrator, you may also update and expand your fire station’s “profile” information, as well as accept/confirm other team members requesting to “join” the fire station with you.

Once you are connected, a convenience link leading directly to your selected fire station and to its member roster appears in the top row on your “Home” screen.

You may “join” additional fire stations at any time. Search and locate any individual fire station’s “profile,” then tap on three vertically-stacked white dots located in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Select “Join Station” and either enter the pass code that has been provided to you by your local station administrator or select “Request to Join” which holds your place and sends a request notification to the local station administrator to confirm/approve your membership.

If you have “claimed” your fire station, you will be prompted to add more information to the station’s “profile,” including a public phone number, general email and website address and brief description. You may also a photo of your fire station and other information. As your colleagues “join” the fire station listing, they will be automatically added to the station’s “roster” for quick reference. You may also adjust the exact street address that is published for your fire station (the red “pin” map marker will be automatically updated to match the adjusted location that you enter).

Note: You may remove your membership connection to a specific department by visiting the specific fire station “profile,” then tap on three vertically-stacked white dots located in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Select “Leave Station” to be removed from that individual station’s “roster.”

The FIREFIGHTER CONNECT “home” screen is your personalized short-cut to connect directly to your fire station(s) and your fire station colleagues, and to view the most recent notifications and requests you have received. Touch and drag the screen downward to pull in the most recent data. A small "spinner" symbol will appear near the top of the screen to indicate that new content is being downloaded. Then, tap "view station", "profile", or "chat" to start connecting.

The top row of the FIREFIGHTER CONNECT “chat” screen displays quick links to your fire station(s) and to the fire fighters you connect to most often. If you select your fire station in the top row, you may start a “group text chat’ session with other members of your team. You may also scroll down to view a list of your recent one-on-one chat conversations and activity, restart a previous chat session, or tap the “add chat” icon to start a new chat connection with members of your own station(s) or with other fire fighters. When starting a new chat session, choose who you want to chat with by selecting from your list of "favorites" or tap "find" to search for someone new to contact.