Sprint Relay Blog

911 Emergency Calls through Sprint Internet-Based Relay Services

Sprint Relay is pleased to announce that you can contact 911 through our internet-based relay services. An order was issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the government agency responsible for the regulation and enforcement of Telecommunications Relay Services rules, requiring internet-based relay services to be accessible to 911. For emergency calls, it is very important to have the full support of the Public Service Access Point (PSAP) and it is important to have the complete contact information for the communications assistant (CA) / video interpreter (VI) to relay the contact information.

 

What is a PSAP?
A PSAP is a Public Safety Answering Point. When the CA or VI forwards your call to the 911 Call Center, they reach a PSAP operator. You are required to give the PSAP operator your physical location, phone number and other pertinent information. The PSAP operator will alert the emergency response agency, such as the police or fire department, on your behalf. The CA or VI will relay the contact information to the PSAP operator, who will process the emergency call and send the appropriate emergency personnel (i.e. police, fire, or ambulance). The landline telephone number that is input into the PSAP operator’s system will display information on his or her screen, including the full name, street address, city, and state of the caller. Calling an emergency provider through an internet based service is different than using your landline telephone to make the call. It is strongly encouraged to use your landline telephone first when making 911 calls because that is the fastest way to get the PSAP’s attention. When you dial 911 directly from your landline phone, you will contact 911. The phone line will be silent, but they will be able to send assistance to your location without asking any questions. The PSAP operator may hear what is happening on your end of the phone but you are unable to communicate. This is called a “silent off-the-hook” call. With internet-based relay, your emergency call will bypass the normal relay service queue (others who are waiting for a connection) and it will go to the first available CA / VI. The following services are available to access 911 emergency calls via computer, video conferencing software/hardware, or wireless devices using Internet-based Sprint Relay services:

*Although Sprint IP, Fed IP, Sprint IP using AIM, VRS and WebCaptel can be used for emergency calling, such emergency calling may not function the same as traditional 911/ E911 services. By using Sprint IP Relay for emergency calling you agree that Sprint is not responsible for any damages resulting from errors, defects, malfunctions, interruptions or failures in accessing or attempting to access emergency services through Sprint IP Relay whether caused by the negligence of Sprint or otherwise.

SPRINT 911 INTRODUCTION

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SPRINTVRS via VP
VRS via D-Link, VP100, VP200 at 911now.tv:

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SPRINTVRS on www.sprintvrs.com

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SPRINTIP RELAY on www.sprintip.com

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SPRINT WEBCAPTEL

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FEDERAL 911 INTRODUCTION

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FEDERAL VRS
VRS via D-Link, VP100, VP200 at 911fed.tv:

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FEDERAL VRS on www.fedvrs.us

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FEDERAL IP RELAY

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