Providing 911 emergency support doesn’t just happen. It requires careful planning, especially in the midst of a cloud migration. Below are a list of questions and tips to help you maintain connections to 911 and regulatory compliance while keeping your end users safe.
- Have you consulted with legal representation regarding your Emergency Calling compliance? Here is a link to the https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-improves-access-911-and-timely-assistance-first-responders-0 FCC Documents regarding 911 Regulations related to Kari’s Law.
- Can end users direct dial 911 without the need to dial a prefix number first? e.g. “*” or “9” for an outside line? Could a child instinctively call for help without knowing how to use the office phone system?
- Have you accurately mapped user endpoint locations including address, building, floor and/or room? “Dispatchable location” is essentially the door that first responders need to find to assist the person having an emergency. This address needs to be formatted correctly and validated for errors in a master street address guide (MSAG) format. Conquest’s SIP provider performs this validation and error correction as part of our provisioning process.
- Do you have a plan for virtual/remote workers and satellite offices? Your HR, facilities and IT teams can work with your legal counsel to help you determine how to support users in remote locations.
- Are notifications set up to notify key personnel in the event there is an emergency? Notifications can be provided via email, phone call recording, or SMS text message formats. To help with E911 compliance, Conquest Solutions offers a notification feature with our E911 for VoIP 3CX solution.
Key Takeaways
Managing 911 compliance, requires full understanding of the legal and regulatory risks.
- Potential exposures can occur when a company:
- Fails to adequately plan for remote workers, satellite offices, etc.
- Fails to provide dispatchable location information at the time of a 911 call
- Doesn’t alert on-site security teams and other key personnel that a 911 call has been made
- Intercepts 911 calls before sending directly to public safety
- On February 16, 2020, companies must be compliant with Kari’s Law
- Applies to MLTS (multi-line telephone systems) systems “manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed” after the compliance date.
- Be aware that companies that may not be legally mandated to support these requirements on February 16, 2020, may still be at risk from litigation and negative media attention if users’ expectations are not met.
- With the passage of this legislation, the FCC is rapidly moving toward establishing uniform federal standards for precise “dispatchable location” as well as internal notifications to on-site teams to assist in the emergency response.
Help is Available
Complicated regulations can seem overwhelming but Conquest Solutions can help. Our 911 call routing and location management solutions, team of experts and white-glove support can help you navigate these complex requirements while also helping to ensure your staff, guests and customers are protected.
Contact us to learn more: 770-953-2500 or email: [email protected]