Important 911 Information for Canada - Starter Kit
We want to make sure that you are aware of important differences in the way 9-1-1 service operates with a VoIP phone when compared with traditional telephone service. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
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 phone service, your 911 call is forwarded to a third-party service provider that will automatically or manually route your call to the emergency response centre.
Remember to provide your location
Because you can move your VoIP phone between locations and because, for technical reasons, the emergency operator may not have your name, location or contact information available, you must immediately inform the emergency operator of your location and contact particulars any time you call 911. Do not risk sending police or ambulance services to the wrong location.
Be prepared during any service interruption
VoIP phone service 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 cellular telephone) handy to increase the reliability of your access to emergency services during any service interruption.
Do not disconnect
Until you are told to do so by an emergency dispatcher, do not disconnect your 911 call. If you are inadvertently disconnected, call back immediately.
Keep your service address up to date
LoopUp (and its underlying carriers) will attempt to provide the emergency operator with your service address, so please ensure that your administrator ensures your information on file with us is always accurate and updated. If you do not do this (for example, if you are unable to speak during a 911 call), the emergency operator may assume that you are calling from the last registered address.
Inform other users
You must notify other potential users of your VoIP phone service of the nature and limitations of 911 emergency calls. To make this easier, you can find sample stickers to print and attach (see below) in a visible location on your telephone sets.
Limitations of liability
LoopUp’s terms of service limit and disclaim liability related to VoIP 911 service, so please read these carefully.
Any access to 911 emergency calls shall not function (or shall not function properly):
- if a number is assigned to a user located outside of the geographic region (country) associated with such number;
- if a user attempted an emergency services call from a location different from the user’s address provided to LoopUp;
- during any disruption of power at the user’s location;
- during any disruption of connectivity to the user’s locations;
- during any period where service to a user has been cancelled or suspended for any reason;
- if invalid or incorrect user address information is provided, or if such information is not updated in the event of a change in primary location; or
- if equipment provided to, or used by, the user in connection with the services fails to function or is improperly (or is not) installed or configured.
You shall be responsible for testing any agreed functionality in relation to access to 911 emergency calls upon installation and periodically thereafter. Any issues should be promptly reported to LoopUp.
For a complete description of our VoIP 911 service, please see the Master Services Agreement, Service Terms and Proposal (the ‘Agreement’) you have in place with LoopUp.
Warning Stickers
You must notify any potential users of your VoIP phone service of the nature and limitations of 911 emergency calls. To make this easier, please find below suggested wording to attach in a visible location on your telephone sets:
Alternatively you can use the Microsoft Teams 911 emergency calls disclaimer labels or stickers for use with Avery 5160 address labels (1" x 2 5/8") or can be sized if you want to use other types of labels.