911 Emergency Service
Differences between traditional 911 service and VoIP phone 911
With traditional phone services, your 911 call is sent directly to the nearest emergency response centre. With VoIP Services”, your 911 call is forwarded to a third-party service provider that will automatically or manually route your call to an emergency response centre.
Remember to verify your location
Because you can move your VoIP phone between different locations and because, for technical reasons, the emergency operator may not automatically have your name, location or contact information available, you must immediately inform the emergency operator of your location and contact details each time you place a 911 call over VoIP Services. Do not risk sending police or ambulance services to the wrong location.
Be prepared during any service interruption
VoIP Services depends not only on your continued subscription (and payment) for the service, but also on Internet connectivity and power to function. In the event of power, network, or Internet outages (including congestion), or if your service is disconnected or suspended due to non-payment, you may experience a failure, disruption or delay in your 911 Service. We recommend that you keep an alternative phone service (such as a mobile or cellular telephone) handy to increase the reliability of your access to emergency services during any service interruption.
Do not disconnect
Do not hang up or disconnect your 911 call until you are told to do so by an emergency dispatcher. If you are inadvertently disconnected, call back immediately.
Keep your service address up to date
The VoIP Service will attempt to provide the emergency operator with your service address, so please ensure that your registered address on file is always accurate and updated. If you do not do this (for example, if you are unable to speak during a 9-1-1 call), the emergency operator may assume that you are calling from the last registered address.
Inform other users
You must inform all users any potential users of the VoIP Services about the nature and limitations of 911 service. All users and potential users of the VoIP Services must review and accept the 911 Service Terms before using the VoIP Services.
Limitations of Liability
Under no circumstances shall we be liable to you or to any third party for any damages of any kind arising from an inability to use the “VoIP Services” or access to 911 Service.
911 Warning Sticker
The authorities are requesting the VoIP Users to affix a 911 warning sticker on all of their phones. This is to ensure that every users of the VoIP Services are aware of the 911 Service limitations.
Download this PDF document to print 24 labels on one of the compatible Avery 22805 label Stickers Download Here.
Limitation Summary
- Power or ISP (Internet Service Provider) outages or partial outages or service suspension / disconnection, are likely to prevent dialing to emergency service numbers including 911. Consider a plan B such as the use of a mobile phone.
- In an emergency, dial 911 to reach an emergency centre operator.
- Be prepared to provide your physical location, call-back number, and nature of the emergency.
- Do not hang up unless instructed by the call centre operator.
- If you get disconnected, please redial 911. The operator, if they have your number will also attempt to call you back.
- Ensure that your VoIP Service and Internet service is configured and initialized correctly.
- Inform all other users and potential users of the limitations of 911 service and about these user tips.
- Display the 911 warning sticker on the phone set or in a location that is clearly visible to all users and potential users.
