Connect CTY
 

Late last year the Village of Kildeer entered into an agreement with the NTI Group to provide access to a special community notification system called Connect CTY. This system uses the latest technology to allow Village officials to send important messages to thousands of community residents in a matter of minutes. This system allows notifications to be made for particular areas and  particular groups of people such as business contacts versus residences as well as Village-wide announcements.

The community notification system will be run primarily by the Kildeer Emergency Management Agency, coordinated by Police Chief Jeffrey Lilly. It has the ability to send emergency notification messages such as severe weather warnings, disaster notifications, and information on missing children. In addition to emergency notifications, this system allows the broadcast of non-emergency community information such as on road closures, crime prevention alerts, and reminders such as Halloween Trick-or-Treat hours, burning regulations, and snow removal.

All businesses and residents in the Village of Kildeer are automatically included in the contact list for this system under the provisions of the contract with the NTI Group. Interested residents may include additional cell phone numbers, work phone numbers, and email addresses to the contact lists for their address by clicking on "SIGN UP NOW" button on this page. You may also add contact information to the emergency contact form provided at the end of this newsletter and return it to the Village Hall.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Connect-CTY service?

The Connect-CTY service allows for the creation and distribution of time-sensitive messages to every telephone number stored in the notification database.  With the Connect-CTY service, authorized users can send thousands of messages in minutes.  Only authorized officials are allowed access to the system.

What types of messages will be sent using the service?

Any message regarding the safety or welfare of the Kildeer community would be disseminated using the Connect-CTY service.

Examples would include severe weather warnings and updates, hazardous traffic or road conditions in Kildeer or affecting local routes, and any other situation that could impact the safety, property, or welfare of the Village or its residents.

Is my telephone number included in the notification database?

It is our intention and hope that every residence and commercial facility in our community be included in the notification database.  For businesses, we only store one main phone number.  For residents, we may have more than one number that belongs to you in the database.  Additionally, you may request to have a secondary number be entered into our database for priority calling.

May I use a cell phone as my notification database listing?

Yes, we can accept cell phones as secondary phone numbers in the database and encourage you to request that your number be included.

What precautions are being taken to protect personal information?

Connect-CTY™ is a service of The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI). We take security and privacy concerns very seriously and our contract with NTI provides for complete privacy of data for the resident. From a technical perspective, NTI utilizes multiple physical and virtual layers of firewalls to maintain data security.  NTI only utilizes secure transmissions with its customers. No confidential information is ever transmitted between NTI and its customers except through secure means.  Data is hosted in state-of-the-art facilities which require photo identification, thumb-print recognition, keyed access, and are manned 24/7 with full-security personnel.  All data is encrypted prior to being placed on tape for offsite storage. NTI also retains an external, independent security firm to perform annual security audits. 

Will there be a way to positively identify incoming calls which are made by Kildeer using the system?

The caller-ID number for calls generated by the Connect-CTY service will be the same as the Village Information Line number:  (847)-719-2900.  In addition, every message will begin with the same standard announcement:  “Hello, this is  ______ calling with an important message from the Village of Kildeer.”  The message content will follow this standard introduction.

Will the Connect-CTY service work if I have a call screening system on my phone?

There are several varieties of call screening devices which use differing protocols for screening.  In general, the system has been found to work with these devices; but, some may require some type of pre-programming to allow our town’s telephone number to pass through.  We may conduct periodic test to assure that messages are being delivered to numbers in the notification database.

If I have provided more than one phone number, when will they be called?

Should a situation arise that requires us to contact you at multiple phone numbers, we can activate the system to place a simultaneous call to all of your numbers. In most cases, we will be sending calls only to one phone number.

My primary phone or my second listing is a cell phone with a non-local area code.  Will the Connect-CTY service call numbers outside the area?

Yes.  The area code does not impact whether or not a call is made.

How does the Connect-CTY system respond to busy signals or no-answer situations?

For busy signals, the call will be repeated several times in an attempt to reach you.  The same is true for No-answer and Call-waiting.  If the phone is answered by a message recorder, the message will be left on the answering device.  If, after several attempts the call does not successfully go through, the system will stop attempting to call. 

I am receiving town notification calls at my fax or my secondary phone line.  Can I switch to have the system call my primary phone number?

Yes. Please contact Sgt. Allen Barron at (847)-719-2900 or email connect@villageofkildeer.com  to change the phone number in our notification database.

I answer the phone but the “Hello” message repeats. It then hangs up, calls back, and the same thing happens again.   How can I hear the entire message?

Repeating or looping of messages happens when the system detects excessive noise in the background.  This can be caused by loud radio/television volumes, people talking, or busy traffic noise.  When you receive the next call, say “hello” once and turn down the volume of your radio/television or press the mute button on your telephone to allow full message delivery.

If you still have questions regarding this system, you are encouraged to contact Sgt. Barron at connect@villageofkildeer.com or by telephone at the Kildeer Information Line number of (847) 719-2900.