Two New Laws Governing Enhanced 911 That Businesses Should Know About

New 911 Laws

 

Get Ready for New 911 Laws. In 2020, all businesses must comply with two new laws governing Enhanced 911 – Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act. The deadline for compliance was on February 16, 2020. GAGE Cloud Voice can help your organization comply with the new rules. Here’s how our platform keeps you compliant:

Kari’s Law Requirements

Kari’s Law requires organizations with multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) to send a notification to on-site personnel that alerts them to the emergency when 911 is dialed from their premises.

It also requires that organizations must remove any requirement that a caller dial “9”, or any other number, to reach an outside line to make a 911 call.

 

Our Solution

Our cloud communications platform does not require a prefix to access an outside line. In addition, it automatically alerts on-site personnel when anyone in the building dials

911 as follows:

  • Calls the phones of company predefined personnel and plays an automated recording of the time and date of call, username, phone number and extension that dialed 911.
  • Broadcasts an email with this same 911 call information to multiple contacts at once.

 

Ray Baum’s Act Requirements

Ray Baum’s Act requires organizations to provide a dispatchable location, including street address, floor, room and/or suite number (if applicable) to public

safety with 911 calls.

 

Our Solution

We offer Enhanced 911 with a specified location listing

per phone. The location can include:

  • Building address
  • Building number if on a campus or floor number if in a multi-floor building
  • Room/office number

We support Enhanced 911 on Hosted PBX seats or SIP trunks with the inclusion of a Direct Inward Dialing (DID) number for each physical telephone as long as the PBX manufacturer allows support for this service.

 

Is Your Organization Subject to the New Rules?

All businesses must comply with Ray Baum’s Act. All businesses with MLTS must comply with Kari’s Law. Examples include companies across verticals, such as:

  • Multilocation companies
  • Education campuses (K-12, colleges and universities)
  • Hotels
  • Hospitals
  • Retailers
  • Financial institutions 
  • Warehouses

 

What is Kari’s Law and the Ray Baum Act?

Kari’s Law – Kari’s Law was passed into law on February 16, 2018, and applies to multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) “manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed” after the compliance date of February 16, 2020. The law:

  • Prohibits the “Prefix” Requirement When Calling 911 — Locations with MLTS must remove any requirement that a caller dial “9” or any other number to reach an outside line to make a 911 call.
  • Requires On-site Notification — A notification must be sent to on-site personnel when a 911 call is dialed from an MLTS.

Baum’s Act – Ray Baum’s Act was passed into law on March 23, 2018. Section 506  required the FCC to conclude a proceeding by September 23, 2019, that considered rules to ensure that MLTS systems to relay a dispatchable address to public safety responders along with a 911 call. On August 2, 2019 the FCC released its Report and Order that adopted such rules and concluded its proceeding as directed by Section 506.

A dispatchable address is now defined as “the street address of the calling party, and additional information such as room number, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party.”

 

E911 COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST

Here’s a list of tips to help you deliver compliant E911 service to keep your employees, vendors and customers safe.

  • Ensure callers can direct dial E911 without the need to dial an access code, such as * or 9, first to get an outside line.
  • Plan E911 support for virtual workers and satellite offices.
  • Set up E911 notifications for designated personnel in the event there’s an emergency.
  • Consult with legal counsel regarding your need to comply with the new E911 rules.
  • Map “dispatchable locations” where first responders can find E911 callers, including address, building, floor and/or room.
  • Test E911 access across endpoints by making a 933 test call, which will trigger an automated message with the caller name, call-back number and address.

 

………………………….

Are you ready for the 911 Laws? We Can Help! With Gage Cloud Voice, you can now take advantage of integrated mobility and collaboration tools without worrying about these new laws. To learn more about the 911 laws or about our services, please contact us today!