Connect-CTY
The City of Sweeny has partnered with
NTI Group, Inc. to provide Connect-CTY™,
a time-sensitive message delivery system used by authorized
civic leaders to create and rapidly disseminate emergency messages to
the City of Sweeny via telephone numbers stored in the notification
database.
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ADD/MODIFY TELEPHONE NUMBERS IN OUR
DATABASE
VIA THESE LINKS
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Here are some Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs):
What is the
Connect-CTY
service?
The Connect-CTY
service allows authorized civic leaders to create and rapidly
disseminate 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.
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How does the
service work?
Authorized
officials record a voice message that is then delivered quickly to
individual phones in the notification database. Messages may
also be delivered via a computer-generated voice.
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What types of
messages will be sent using the service?
Any message
regarding the safety or welfare of our community would be disseminated
using the Connect-CTY
service.
Examples would
include severe weather warnings and updates, hazardous traffic or road
conditions inside the city or affecting local routes, and any other
situation that could impact the safety, property, or welfare of our
community. <top>
Does the
Connect-CTY
service replace other systems that have been used to provide
time-sensitive information to residents?
This system is a
significant enhancement to existing means of communication and is
supplemental to, not a replacement for, the systems we have used in
the past.
The call-in
emergency information hotline
(979) 548-3330, which is activated
during an emergency situation, will still be available. Also, TV,
radio, and our city Web site will continue to broadcast/post important
announcements. <top>
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. <top>
May I use a
cell phone as my notification database listing?
Yes, we can
accept cell phones as secondary phone numbers in the database.
We
encourage you to request that your number be included.
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What precautions are being taken to protect
personal information?
Connect-CTY™
is a service of The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI). NTI takes security and
privacy concerns very seriously and does not sell, trade, lease or
loan any data about our clients to any third party. From a
technical perspective, we utilize 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 using e-mail
or FTP, but rather always utilizes either a VPN tunnel or SSL. 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. <top>
Will there be
a way to positively identify incoming calls which are made by the city
using the system?
The caller-ID
number for calls generated by the Connect-CTY service will
be the same as the City Hall number:
(979) 548-3321.
In addition, every message will begin with the same standard
announcement: “Hello, this is <The person’s name and position, it
could be the Police Chief, Fire Chief, City Clerk> calling with an
important message from the City of Sweeny.” The message content will follow this standard
introduction. <top>
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 city’s telephone number to pass through. We may conduct periodic
tests to assure that messages are being delivered to numbers in the
notification database. <top>
If I am a
non-resident home or property owner, what phone should be listed in
the notification database?
For non-residents
or owners who reside out of our city, you may provide an
additional phone number to be included in our database to contact
during certain situations. In general, calls are sent to the primary
number only, but we also have the ability to call multiple numbers for
each resident or business when requested by the resident or business.
Please contact us with that information
via our Web Form, E-Mail, or Online Document. We will be
adding additional information and managing people who wish to opt out
of the system.
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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 (such as during emergency situations), we can activate the system to place a simultaneous call to
all of your numbers. In most cases, though, we will be sending calls only to
one phone number, the primary phone number. <top>
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.
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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.
If the call fails, we are notified by Connect-CTY, and
other attempts to contact you may be employed.
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I am receiving
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 us at (979) 548-3321
to change the phone number in our notification database. This is the
police main desk. You can also get us to update the data by
filling out an online
form, e-mailing us, or downloading our form.
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I was not able
to listen to the entire call. Is there a way to repeat the message?
Yes, at the end
of the message playback, simply press the star (*) key on your
telephone to have it repeated in its entirety.
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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. <top>
What if I have additional questions?
Please contact Cindy King at City Hall at (979)
548-3321 or Chad Makara at the Police Department at (979) 548-3111.
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