CHECKLIST: Kari's Law To Support 911 Calls

When there is an emergency, you call 911. Whether in a hotel room, in a school, at a department store, or in an office building, there should be a telephone available to make this potentially life-saving phone call.

To ensure all multi-line telephone systems have the ability to immediately dial 911, the FCC signed Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM'S Act requiring two key emergency calling capabilities:

Prohibit the Requirement For a “Prefix” When Calling 911:

Businesses and organizations with multi-line telephone systems must remove any prefix (dial “9”, “8”, "*") prior to dialing 911.

On-Site Emergency Notifications:

When a 911 call is placed from a multi-line telephone, a notification must be sent to on-site personnel alerting them of an emergency. The notifications can be phone calls, visual alerts on a monitor, audible alarms, SMS/text messages, or email.

When it comes to ensuring your organization's modern telephone system is in compliance with newly written 911 laws, here is a quick checklist to include as you evaluate future phone systems and vendors.

911 Checklist:

1. Can anyone pick up a phone and dial '9-1-1' without the need to dial an access code first (“*” or “9” for an outside line)?

2. Do you have an accurate list for each endpoint or physical telephone including the exact location with address, building, floor, or room?

3. Have you tested 911 dialing from each endpoint or physical telephone across the building? (You can dial '9-3-3' from each phone to get an automated recording of the endpoint details without actually calling 911).

4. Do you have a 911 emergency communications plan for remote staff and satellite offices?

5. Are notifications set up to notify key staff in the event of an emergency?

Know a business or organization that could benefit from understanding the benefits of reviewing the current phone system, software, service, and support? Let them know about our local, full-service telecom company at Recent Communications, Inc.

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