Welcome to the Town of Groton, Connecticut

Reverse 9-1-1/CT Alert

CT Alert

Community Emergency Notification System

Most residents know they can call 9-1-1 to get assistance in the event of a police, fire or medical emergency. With the Connecticut Statewide CT-Alert system, Groton Emergency Communications can notify residents and businesses in Groton and North Stonington about a potential emergency circumstance.
The CT-Alert System allows Groton Emergency Communications to rapidly notify specific geographical areas by telephone, email, text or instant message with minimal impact on emergency services personnel.  The CT Alert System is the only statewide emergency notification system in the United States.

How does the CT-Alert System work?

In the event of an emergency, the Groton Emergency Communications Center can identify the affected area and record a message that describes the situation and recommends the protective actions residents should take. The CT-Alert system will automatically call telephone numbers or send email and text message to those registered within that geographic area to deliver the message.  If the recipient’s phone line is busy, the system will redial the number.  If an answering machine picks up the call, the emergency message will be left on the machine.

System Features

The CT-Alert system's features make it an excellent tool for sharing information and alerting residents in the case of an emergency situation.

  • It can provide an initial warning as well as specific instructions to protect at-risk citizens. Both factors are necessary for an effective warning.
  • 911 Dispatchers can target specific geographic locations, warning only those people who are directly at risk.
  • The system uses existing devices (telephones, text devices, email and instant messaging) to alert citizens; there is no need for people to buy a specialized warning device.
  • The system can deliver text messages to TTY/TDD devices. This feature has the potential to greatly enhance our ability to warn and protect citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing.
  • Residents and business owners can add telephone numbers and email addresses to the database. This feature allows those with non-traditional AT&T landline telephone numbers such as Vonage, Comcast and other VOIP telephones as well as cellular telephone numbers to add their information to the system.
  • Residents and business owners can create user accounts on the system and control the method of message delivery i.e. cell phone first, home number second, email address third
Some of the many uses of the system could include:

  • Emergency Evacuations
  • Missing Person Alerts
  • Natural Disaster Alerts
  • Hazardous Material Leaks
  • Search and Rescue Operations
  • Neighborhood Emergency Incidents
  • Homeland Security Notifications
The CT-Alert System provides our 9-1-1 Emergency Telecommunicators with a state-of-the-art, public safety communications solution to better serve those who live and work in Groton or North Stonington.

System Limitations

As with any system anywhere, CT-Alert has its limitations. The name, address and telephone number database contains only those telephone numbers for residents who have AT&T telephone service (both listed and unlisted). Cellular and broadband (VOIP) telephone numbers are not included in the database.  Unless residents manually add their information to the system, we will be unable to notify people with cell phones, broadband phones, email or instant messaging addresses. 

To create your own user identity and add your non-traditional landline telephone and/or email addresses to the system, you are encouraged to visit the State of Connecticut’s CT-Alert website at www.ctalert.gov and follow the steps described there to add your information. 

When you create an account with the CT-Alert system, you can add multiple addresses to your phone number.  In this manner you can, for example, receive emergency messages for your home address, your children’s school and/or the address of your relatives – assuming of course all of the locations are within Connecticut. 

The CT-Alert System can become is very effective for making notifications within a well-defined geographic area. Unfortunately we can’t alert you if we can’t reach you during emergencies.  Everyone who uses  non-traditional landline AT&T telephones are encouraged to visit the CT Alert website at www.ctalert.gov to add your cell phone numbers, VOIP telephone numbers and email addresses to the system.

The incorporation of the CT-Alert system represents the Groton Emergency Communication Center continuing commitment to providing our residents with the most advanced technologies available to ensure that our local public safety is as effective as possible.

To register your address and phone number, please visit the CT Alert webpage at www.ctalert.gov

Office of Emergency Management

Captain James Bee, Deputy Director
68 Groton Long Point Road
Groton, CT 06340
Telephone 860-445-2000
24 Hour Emergency 860-445-2497
e-mail: jbee@groton-ct.gov