Is Your Business in Compliance with Kari’s Law?

by Rachael / Sunday, 15 March 2020 / Published in IT Support, USA

Kari’s Law was signed into law on February 16^th 2018 with the compliance deadline of February 16 2020.

Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s act requires all phonelines in the United States to have the ability to phone the emergency services number 911 without having to dial a number, usually a 9, to reach an external line.

The story behind Kari’s law is tragic. Kari Hunt was killed by her estranged partner in a motel. Her 9-year-old daughter had tried to phone emergency services, but none of her calls went through because the hotel system required her to dial a 9 before dialling 911. Had she been able to reach emergency services, this tragedy may well have been avoided.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?

As a result of this tragedy, Kari’s Law disallows any prefixes before dialling 911, so anyone can reach emergency services as easily and quickly as possible. Therefore, if your business uses a multi-line telephone system (MLTS), which is common in most office buildings, hotels and schools, you need to ensure that you are complaint.

In addition to no longer needing a prefix before dialling 911, the new law also aims to help emergency services locate the emergency as quickly as possible. The Ray Baum’s Act strives to create rules to improve the dispatchable location information that comes from emergency calls. In other words, it helps give the emergency responders more accurate information, for example, building number, floor and even suite.

If you would like more information on how your business can become complaint with Kari’s Law, Call us on +44 203 034 2244 or +1 323 984 8908 Alternately, you can contact us online. We will be happy to help you overcome your IT challenges.

Cardonet have been working with businesses for the past twenty years to help them overcome their technological challenges. We have engineering bases in the United Kingdom, Europe and Southern California and our group of highly experienced engineers are available 24/7 to assist and ensure that your IT infrastructure is secure and running seamlessly.