The Case for E911

Everyone knows how to call 9-1-1 for help. But what if you are in a high-rise or in a multi-building campus? This is where enhanced 9-1-1 (E911) is critical. E911 can pinpoint the exact location of a 911 caller in an enterprise environment.

Here are four reasons why E911 is critical to you and your business or organization.

E911 Saves Lives

The facts are simple: E911 saves lives by speeding emergency response to the precise location of a 9-1-1 caller. However, most phone systems don’t provide dispatchers with the E911 location information necessary to direct emergency responders to a 911 caller — even though many states require it by law.

E911 is the Law

16 states currently have legislation on the books requiring businesses, schools and government agencies to provide E911. Other states are currently considering similar legislation which targets multi-line telephone system (MLTS) operators and includes PBXs, IP call servers and Centrex systems.

E911 Liability Risk is Real

Failure to provide E911 protection to employees could result in regulatory fines and expose the enterprise to large damages from civil and criminal litigation. A study by Liability Consultants found the average jury verdict for a workplace death to be $2.2 million.

E911 is Affordable

According to a survey by the Liberty Mutual Group, about two-thirds of employers report a threefold savings for every dollar invested in safety. The ROI on E911 management is consistent with this study.

E911 solutions are available in all price ranges. You can buy E911 as a monthly service, or purchase full-featured enterprise software applications that automate E911 across your organization.

Read more about E911 on TMCNet’s E911 Channel. IT

Nick Maier is senior vice president of RedSky (News - Alert) Technologies (www.redskyE911.com).

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