Blackboard Connect CTY Alerts
Are you registered to receive emergency alerts from the Village of Gurnee? If not, sign up through our Blackboard Connect CTY portal or download the app. Search for agency name "Village of Gurnee" in the MyConnect portal.
SIGN-UP HERE TO RECEIVE ALERTS FROM THE VILLAGE
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Blackboard Connect CTY service?
The
Blackboard Connect CTY service allows authorized Village of Gurnee staff and
emergency dispatchers to create and rapidly disseminate time-sensitive messages
to every e-mail address and telephone number stored in the notification
database. With the Blackboard Connect service, authorized users can
contact thousands of residents/businesses in minutes. Only authorized
users are allowed access to the system.
How does the service work?
Authorized
staff record or compose a voice or e-mail 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 Blackboard Connect service. Examples include severe weather warnings
and updates, flooding concerns and any other situation that could impact the
safety, or welfare of our residents. The service is also used for non-emergency
purposes to provide information such as waste service delays or mosquito
treatments. These non-emergency alerts can opted-out from.
Is my telephone number included in
the notification database?
It
is our intention and hope that every residence and commercial facility in the
Village of Gurnee be included in the notification database. 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. You can update your
contact information via a paper form available at the Gurnee Village Hall (325
N O’Plaine Road) or by emailing us at connect@village.gurnee.il.us
What precautions are being taken to
protect personal information?
Blackboard
Connect 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. Blackboard Connect only
utilizes secure transmissions with its customers. No confidential information
is ever transmitted between Blackboard Connect and
its customers using e-mail or FTP; all information is secure using VPN or FTP.
Data is hosted in state-of-the-art facilities which require photo
identification, thumb-print recognition, keyed access, and are manned 24/7 with
security personnel. All data is encrypted prior to being stored offsite.
Blackboard Connect also retains an external, independent security firm to
perform annual security audits.
Will there be a way to positively
identify incoming calls that are made by the Village of Gurnee using the
system?
The
caller-ID number for calls generated by the Blackboard Connect service will be from: (847) 599-7555. In addition, every
message will begin with the same standard announcement: “Hello, this is the Village of Gurnee/Gurnee
Police Department with an important message regarding ____ .” The
message content will follow this standard introduction.
Will the Blackboard Connect service
work if I have a call screening system on my phone?
There
are several varieties of call screening devices that 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 Village’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 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 Blackboard
Connect service call numbers outside the area?
Yes.
The area code does not impact whether or not a call is made.
How does the Blackboard
Connect 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 a message
recorder answers the phone, 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 Village of Gurnee 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 847-599-7500 or by
email at connect@village.gurnee.il.us 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. Alternatively, calling
847-599-7555 will get you to the Connect CTY voicemail that replays the
message.
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. Loud radio/television volumes, people talking, or busy
traffic noise, can cause this. 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.