EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Emergency Notification System
By enrolling in the Smart Message - Community Alert Network, you can now stay connected by receiving up to the minute Emergency Alerts from local officials regarding immediate or pending threats to public safety or property, where immediate notification is necessary. Examples include evacuation recommendations, boil orders, water main breaks, and crime alerts.
If your community participates, you can also elect to receive Announcements, Notices, and Public Safety Non-Emergency information sent to your home phone, work phone, texted to your cell phone, or emailed to you between the hours of 6 am and 9 pm. You can select how you receive the information based on the contact information you provide during the sign up process. Examples include:
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Announcements - May inform you of scheduled water and sewer repairs. Messages may also inform you of scheduled street closures, resurfacing projects, and parking bans.
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Notices - May consist of community information regarding upcoming festivals, changes in garbage pick-up, and community press releases.
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Public Safety Non-Emergency Information - May include messages from local officials with information about crime prevention information, public safety events, neighborhood crime alert information, and fire hydrant testing.
PLEASE NOTE: This system is not being used as a severe weather notification system. We encourage you to proactively seek out weather related information from official channels such as the National Weather Service (www.weather.gov) or your preferred local media source. it is a best practice to have a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio at your residence or place of business that broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information about weather radios can be found at www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr
Notification Program Overview
We have launched a new Mass Notification service that allows us to alert you. You opt-in to enter your contact information and subscribe to notification you care about based on your location. The information you provide is protected and will not be used for any other purpose.
How It Works
When we issue a notification about a potential safety hazard or concern, you will receive a message on the voice or text communication methods that you have registered. If requested for the notification, you can confirm that you have received the message and you will not be contacted by any subsequent methods regarding that particular notification. If you do not confirm, the system will continue to attempt to reach you at all of the contact paths that you have registered.
Sign up for Notifications
Create an account and add your contact and location information into the Mass Notification system. All information you provide will be kept strictly confidential.
Stop Receiving Notifications
You can stop receiving at any time by removing your contact information from your profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Emergency Alert Program?
This service allows you to sign up to receive emergency and non-emergency notifications through your preferred method of communication. This could include a cell phone, work phone, text message, e-mail, home phone, and more. You can also choose the locations you want to be contacted about. You can receive notifications about emergencies and other events that may impact the area around your home, your parents' home, your workplace, and your child's school, as long as those locations are within the boundaries of a participating Will County community.
When will it be used?
Whenever possible, the system will be used to notify subscribers about imminent threats to health, safety and property or for important community notifications. Please keep yourself informed by continuing to monitor other public safety warning and information systems (such as television and radio) whenever possible.
Will I still get emergency notifications if I don't sign up?
Will County has chosen to automatically import into the mass notification system publicly available landline phone information from the White Pages. If you do not sign up for this system, you will only receive Emergency Alert notifications on your landline phone, but nowhere else. However, if you have an unlisted traditional landline, or you only use a cell phone, you MUST sign up to receive any emergency or non-emergency alerts.
What if my phone number or email address changes?
If your cell phone, work phone, unlisted traditional landline or email address changes, you must visit your profile and update the information. The one exception is listed traditional landlines. If a listed traditional landline changes to another listed landline number, that information will be automatically updated annually. We encourage subscribers to keep their information current so we can maintain a robust and effective mass notification system.
Will my contact information be shared with others?
No, the information that you provide will be used for mass notification system purposes only. Will County will not give or sell your telephone numbers or email addresses to any third-party vendor or other public or private organization.