The COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of health and safety in the workplace. A pair of recent federal regulations will expedite 911 calling and emergency response – Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act.

These important mandates are intended to protect everyone in your office or building – employees and visitors – by improving access to emergency services:

• Kari’s Law applies to newly installed, multi-line telephone systems. The law requires that users be able to directly call emergency services by dialing 911 without having to dial a prefix to reach an outside line.
• Ray Baum’s Act requires that 911 emergency operators be provided with the specific location of the calling party so that appropriate assistance can be dispatched to that location.

If you’re planning for a new telephone system or want to be sure your current system is in compliance, you should be aware of these requirements and ensure that your provider’s offerings can comply with them.

FCC order and detailed rules here

Compliance Challenges

As you take steps to comply with the new 911 rules, you’ll want to keep in mind several factors – including the technology used in your IT environment, network topology, and the geographic scope of your phone system deployment.

Also, many states have adopted their own 911 regulations which may contribute to compliance confusion.

Need help with 911 calling compliance in your business? TCI can help.

We’ll get it all going for you! Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.