Podcast Series
Is Your Business Kari's Law, 911 Emergency Compliant?Is Your Business Kari’s Law, 911 Emergency Compliant?
ServiceMark Telecom Helps Businesses Make Sure their Phone Systems are 911 Direct Dial Compliant…it’s the Law!
What if you were in danger and couldn’t contact the police for help. It was this set of tragic circumstances that prompted the creation of Kari’s Law. It is named after Kari Hunt, who in 2013 was savagely murdered in her hotel room, in the presence of her three young children. Kari’s nine-year-old daughter, Briana, tried to use their hotel room’s phone to call 911 for help. Her attempts to successfully call the police failed because the hotel’s phone system required her to dial before 9 before her outside call could be made.
Imagine the terror Briana Hunt experienced. A nine-year-old girl, thrust into a violent situation, beyond her comprehension, trying frantically to reach out for help. She had the presence of mind to dial 911, but in her panic and desperation, she was unable to understand the extra, required “dial out” steps she needed to take to place her call to police. Her mother tragically died as a result of the assault. Later, medical examiners would conclude that she might have survived her attack if she had received the immediate 911 emergency assistance and medical care that her daughter was trying so desperately to reach.
What is Kari’s Law and the Ray Baum’s Act?
The federal government passed Kari’s Law on February 16, 2020. Kari’s Law mandates that all phone systems be able to dial ‘911’ directly without a “dial out” access code or interception by a call answering facility. This law also mandates that there be a notification to on-site staff if a 911 call is made from their facility. This helps to ensure businesses/organizations can help facilitate first responder rescue efforts.
The purpose of Ray Baum’s Act is to ensure that “dispatchable location” information is conveyed with 911 calls. This helps first responders locate callers more rapidly. Dispatchable location information includes the street address of the caller and additional information, such as room or floor number, which are extremely helpful pieces of information with trying to locate 911 callers.
Different rules apply to the different types of 911-capable services: fixed telephony, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS), and mobile text services. There are also additional dispatchable location requirements for multi-line telephone systems (MLTS).
Penalties for Non-Compliance to Kari’s Law
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has now included Kari’s Law in the revised Communications Act. This means that the FCC can enforce severe penalties on those who are noncompliant with Kari’s Law. Businesses that do not comply to Kari’s Law can face a fine of up to $10,000. Businesses can also incur additional penalties, such as a daily fine of up to $500 per day for every day they remain non-compliant.
Those businesses and organizations who are not compliant with Kari’s Law and the Ray Baum’s Act may find themselves risking civil lawsuits and possible criminal charges if a tragedy should occur on their premises and the phone system used to dial 911 does not meet the requirements of both mandates.
How ServiceMark Telecom Helps Businesses Comply with Kari’s Law?
As a leader in business communications, ServiceMark Telecom is passionate about Kari’s Law. We strive to design and install the absolute best business telephone system solutions for clients.
As Kansas City’s Top Rated Phone System Provider, we ensure that all new business phone system installations are compliant with both Kari’s Law and the Ray Baum’s Act.
ServiceMark works carefully with clients to design business phone systems that will provide reliable communication and meet the specific needs of each business. With every upfront new phone system or upgrade consultation ServiceMark takes the time to understand and evaluate each clients’ phone service provider options (i.e., traditional phone service, internet connectivity for VoIP). This is a critical step to ensure that the phone system solution the client chooses will have reliable connectivity and audio quality.
Make Sure Your Phone System is 911 Direct Dial Compliant
ServiceMark is ready to help you make sure your business is emergency ready. Give us a call today at 816-478-2000 or request a no-cost business phone system consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!
