Why Your Phone System Must Comply with Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act

No one wants to contemplate a workplace emergency, but illness, injury or even violence can happen at any time. In an emergency, everyone knows to call 911. However, the multiline telephone systems (MLTSs) used in many organizations can make it difficult to get help quickly.

There are two primary problems: MLTSs typically require users to dial a prefix to get an outside line, and callers can forget that step in a crisis. Even if the caller is able to reach an emergency operator, the phone system doesn’t provide callback information and a detailed location of the emergency.

Two federal laws address these problems by requiring MLTSs to enable direct dialing of 911 and deliver accurate location information. Any organization that installs, manages or operates an MLTS must ensure that the system complies with these laws. Organizations must also ensure that any new system or major upgrade is compliant. Failing to do so can put the organization and its employees, partners and customers at risk.

Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act

One piece of legislation is Kari’s Law, which grew out of a tragedy. Kari Hunt Dunn was fatally stabbed by her estranged husband in a Texas hotel room on Dec. 1, 2013. Their 9-year-old daughter dialed 911 four times but didn’t know she had to dial 9 first to get an outside line. She was unable to reach the emergency dispatcher.

On Feb. 16, 2018, Kari’s Law became federal law, requiring organizations to implement direct dialing of 911 from their MLTSs. In other words, phone systems must not require the caller to dial “9” or another prefix before dialing 911. MLTSs must also notify relevant personnel (such as the front desk) that someone has called 911 and provide the phone number and location of the caller.

RAY BAUM’s Act is a companion piece of legislation that went into effect on Jan. 6, 2021. It requires that 911 calls provide what the FCC calls a “dispatchable location” and direct the call to the nearest Enhanced 911 (E911) Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). That means the closest emergency dispatcher is notified and has the information needed to direct first responders to the person who dialed 911.

The Remote and Mobile Challenge

Voice over IP (VoIP) platforms introduce additional challenges in complying with Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act. IP phones are not fixed. These systems allow users to move their desk phones to a different location, plug them into the network and enter their credentials to use their extension. Additionally, remote and mobile workers commonly use softphone software installed on their laptops or mobile devices. The software connects to the company phone system via a virtual private network or an SSL/TLS encrypted connection.

There are several ways of tracking the location of devices used to access the company phone system. Administrators can manually enter the location information in a device, or the organization can give users access to a portal for updating the device’s location. However, this can be cumbersome if devices move frequently, and comes with the risk that a user will forget to update the database.

GDS systems are fully compliant with Kari's Law & Ray Baum's Act.

Some IP phone systems can automatically detect device locations by IP address or the Wi-Fi access point the device connects to. Whatever method is used, organizations must ensure that remote workers who use the corporate phone system can reach the right PSAP and that the emergency dispatcher receives accurate information.

How GDS Can Help

If you use the GDS nContact hosted unified communications solution, you don’t have to worry. Our system is compliant with Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act, and we utilize an E911 service that can track down a device to its GPS coordinates.

No organization wants a workplace emergency to end in tragedy. Let GDS help you comply with these important laws so that first responders can reach the emergency as quickly as possible.

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