Enhanced 911 Compliance: What Businesses Need to Know

If your business’s phone system connects multiple users with one telephone system – a Multiline Telephone Systems – Dec. 31 means more than just the last day of 2019.

E911 compliant phone call

For Multiline Telephone Systems (MLTS) users, Dec. 31, 2019, was the deadline to be compliant with Enhanced 911 (E911) specifications.

E911 is an advanced form of the 911 service that gives a dispatcher the caller’s phone number. It allows dispatchers to cross-reference an incoming phone number to an address. With this information, they can direct emergency responders to the accurate location.

When you call 911 from an MLTS and you’re not compliant with the E911 MLTS law, dispatchers can see only the street address for a multi-level building, the main building when you’re in an out-building, or the headquarters’ address when you’re in a satellite office.

An MLTS is great for streamlining calls, but it can and has hindered emergency services’ response.

What Are The Benefits of E911 Software?

It is self-evident why every phone in a business should be able to dial 911 in case of an emergency, and the E911 guidelines require specific location information to be automatically included for emergency dispatchers. This could be a room or suite number, floor number, a building identifier, a unique street address and/or other easily identifiable details.

E911 compliant emergency response

These guidelines are specifically meant to assist emergency responders with any business location 7,000 square feet or larger. For these businesses, there are provisions for all shapes and sizes – single and buildings, single and multiple street addresses, and small or large physical spaces.

The two exemptions included in the law are business with their own team of 24/7 first responders and/or security personnel (such as public safety, police stations, ambulance stations, etc.) or businesses whose telephone carriers do not yet provide E911 services.

At this point in time, however, the technology available to comply with E911 has been consistently improving since all telephone companies have known this day was coming. It’s unlikely the second exemption applies to most cases.

If you aren’t exempt and have 7,000 or more square feet meeting the new regulations is not difficult. The good news is it’s possible to meet the requirements in the next two months.

If you’re using Cisco telephone systems, such as BE4K, BE6K, BE7K, or any of the WebEx calling solutions, The KR Group has ready solutions to bring those systems into E911 compliance.

Some of those solutions are as simple as configurations changes and working with the existing telephone company. Others may require a third-party solution integration as the telephone company does not inherently support E911 integration from the Cisco software.

Both of those solutions are cost-effective and simple to manage, even with remote staff who regularly work from home.

If you aren’t using Cisco telephone systems, The KR Group can provide information and guidance to get the job done with the system you have in place.

If you don’t file your E911-compliant emergency communications plan to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Public Service Commission, they could issue up to $5,000 in fines if you make an improperly formed 911 call.

If you want to learn what your business needs to do to become E911 compliant, schedule an appointment to talk to someone on our team.

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