Emergency Notification System

Connect - CTY®

The County of Dinwiddie is pleased to announce the launch of the Connect - CTY® service, our new county-to-resident notification system. With this service, county leaders can send personalized voice messages to residents and businesses within minutes with specific information about time-sensitive or common-interest issues such as emergencies and local community matters. The Connect-CTY service will be used to supplement our current communication plans and augment public safety/first responder services.

Please accept our invitation to participate in this great service. If you have not already signed up, click on the Connect-CTY link provided and when the page opens click on Add My Contact Information. If you have previously registered click on Edit or Delete My Info. to make changes to your information. If you have questions or need assistance you may use the FAQ’s link below or contact us at 804-469-5388. We know that your personal information is important, and rest assured that we will not share it with anyone.

Connect-CTY FAQ

Connect-CTY®

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

How does the service work?
Authorized officials record a voice message that is then delivered quickly to individual phones in the notification database.

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 county or affecting local routes, and any other situation that could impact the safety, property, or welfare of our citizens.

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. TV, radio and our county web site will continue to broadcast important announcements as well.

Is my telephone number included in the notification database?
It is our intention and hope that every residence in our community be included in the notification database. To provide contact information, please visit the County’s website at www.dinwiddieva.us.

May I use a cell phone as my notification database listing?
Yes, we can accept cell phones 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). 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.

Will there be a way to positively identify incoming calls which are made by the county using the system?
The caller-ID number for calls generated by the Connect-CTY service will be: (804) 469-5388. In addition, every message will begin with the same standard announcement: “Hello, this is ______ calling with an important message from Dinwiddie County.” 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 county’s telephone number to pass through. We may conduct periodic tests to assure that messages are being delivered to numbers in the notification database.

If I am a non-resident home or condominium owner, what phone should be listed in the notification database?
For non-residents or owners who reside outside of our county, you may provide additional phone numbers 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. Please contact our county office at (804) 469-5388 or visit the county web site www.dinwiddieva.us to provide us with that information.

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 county 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 (804) 469-5388 to change the phone number in our notification database.

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.

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.

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