Why Your Communications Platform Needs Ray Baum's Act Compliance

Why Your Communications Platform Needs Ray Baum's Act Compliance

Baum's Act was passed in February 2020. Amongst a host of measures that transform how organizations need to manage E-911 calls, one significant change is that multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) must transmit a 'dispatchable location' whenever someone makes a 911 call. 

The Act defines 'dispatchable location' as: 

"A location delivered to the PSAP with a 911 call that consists of the validated street address of the calling party, plus additional information such as suite, apartment, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party."

The delivery of this information should be automated and completed without any human intervention. Here's why that benefits you, and what you need to consider about compliance. 

Why is Ray Baum's Act So Beneficial For Organizations?

If you work in an organization spread across several floors or buildings, it's likely that you have an MLTS in place to facilitate internal comms. Employees may use this communications platform to contact 911 in the case of an emergency. 

Sometimes, however, it's difficult for first responders to get a situation under control when they are only given a street address. Large, multi-building, or multi-floor sites are challenging to navigate, and emergency responders lose valuable time checking for further information at the front desk. 

For example, an ambulance team could be delayed significantly if they don't have accurate information about which school campus building they are trying to locate. Hotel rooms, office suites, and apartment buildings can also cause confusion for police or fire service teams without exact location information. 

In some cases, such as in the case of a stroke or heart attack, these vital few minutes can be the difference between life and death. 

Compliance with Ray Baum's Act ensures that this information is communicated to first responders every time a 911 call is dialed. It helps emergency services do their jobs to the best of their ability and enhances the safety of everyone in the building. 

You Need to Act Now to Communication Platform Compliance

Ray Baum's Act came into effect in January 2021 for fixed devices, whilst nomadic VoIP services have until January 2022 to comply.

The good news is that Ray Baum's Act is both highly beneficial for everyone in your organization and relatively straightforward, compliance-wise. While the Act is broad, all you need to do for your MLTS is ensure that your communication platform automatically sends emergency services to an accurate dispatchable location whenever someone calls 911. 

There are three elements to this: 

• Maintaining accurate databases of rooms, employees and locations, and ensuring these match up with the information stored on your MLTS
• Ensuring your communication platform has the functionality to transmit this information automatically
• Testing your communications platform to ensure this functionality works and is set up correctly

If you've not completed your Ray Baum's Act compliance yet, and are looking for a VoIP communications platform that can provide this, consider Net2Phone. Our cloud PBX system is fully compliant with all legislation coming into effect next year. 

Get in touch to see how we could help