• Subscriber 911 Acknowledgement
• VoIP 911 Primer

911 Information

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) uses the Internet, not a telephone line to connect a telephone call. Although, VoIP acts the same as a traditional telephone and connects you to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), there are important factors for you to consider regarding the usage of your VoIP service for emergency calling. This is an important difference which affects the 911 Emergency Services available to you.

911 Service is provided through a third party call centre, therefore, 911 calls may take longer to reach the appropriate Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) than in the case of traditional 911 / E911 calls. When a 911 call is placed using your VoIP service, the intermediate call centre operator has to verify that the calling number is still associated with the location registered with the Service Provider. These differences include, but are not limited to:


911 emergency calling from within Canada or the United States of America is subject to the availability of 911 services at the caller’s physical location;
If 911 is not available from your physical location, directly contact emergency services such as the fire department, ambulance, or police using the direct dialed number for your location;


911 dialed emergencies will be routed to a bilingual Emergency Services Call Centre Operator who will speak with you to determine your exact location and telephone number. You will be required to provide your Name, Telephone Number and Address to the call centre operator. The call centre operator will confirm your location information from the information you have provided to your Service Provider when you purchased and arranged for your VoIP service. This operator will then route your call to the Emergency Services Operator at the (PSAP) serving your geographic location;

You should be prepared to confirm your address and call-back number with the PSAP operator. Do not hang up unless told directly to do so and if disconnected, you should immediately dial 911 again.


911 emergency service may not be available during a power outage;
Power outages or other disruptions may require you to re-set or reconfigure the VoIP equipment and service.


911 emergency service is not available during a broadband internet outage;


911 emergency service is not available if your VoIP service or internet service is suspended or terminated;


911 emergency service may be impeded by your internet service provider (ISP).
You as a subscriber of the service, you must notify your provider of any address changes, either directly or as directed by your service provider. If you fail to notify of address updates, this could result in Emergency Service Personnel being sent to your last registered address (should you be unable to speak during the 911 call). The service address updates will become valid within 24 hours.

You as a subscriber of the service, must notify all residents (and/or) guests who may be permitted to use your VoIP service of the differences between your 911 service and traditional 911 or E 911 dialing.

If you do not understand and agree with the limitations and conditions for the VoIP 911 service, you should consider alternate means of accessing traditional or E911 service.


911 Info for Users:
When faced with an emergency situation, REMAIN CALM! Determine what has happened, and then ask yourself, “What must I do, is assistance needed right now to protect life or property”? If the answer is yes, immediately dial 911 and tell the operator what is happening. Provide your Name, Telephone number and Address to the call centre operator. The call centre operator will confirm your location information from the information he/she has on their screen and once confirmed, you will be transferred to the appropriate PSAP for your physical location.

Once you have been transferred, the PSAP dispatcher will require;
     - The location where assistance is needed,
     - Your name and phone number,
     - If you are calling for someone else at a different location, be sure to make that known to the dispatcher.

The nature of the emergency:
     - If a Police emergency;
     - What happened,
     - Which way did the suspects leave,
     - Suspect Description,
     - Was a vehicle used,
     - Type of vehicle, colour – be as specific as possible
     - Avoid using “left or right” instead use “north / south / east or west”.

If a Fire or Medical emergency;
     - Obstacles that could prevent rescue crews from reaching the scene or victim,
     - The victim is locked in the house,
     - Electrical lines are down around the scene, etc.

Keep your information factual. Do Not exaggerate the situation. Tell the dispatcher what you know, and if you don’t know, say you’re not sure.

Helpful Hints:
Always listen to the dispatcher for guidance, let the dispatcher ask the questions, as they have a certain way of handling each type of call. Sometimes the questions may be asked more than once to clarify the information. Each question has a reason for being asked. No one is deliberately stalling or delaying the emergency response.

You may wish to write out your address on a small piece of paper and tack it on the wall above your phone, or tape it to the phone. This will make it easier to give or verify your address if you or your child become too nervous or frightened to remember it. The questions the dispatcher asks are for your safety as well as those attending the scene or address. Just because they are questioning you, does not mean help is not on the way. Information is entered into a computer and can be dispatched by another operator. The officers or emergency response personnel may arrive while you are talking to the dispatcher. Remain on the line until told to hang up.

If you have children in the house, make sure they learn their phone number and their address. You never know, your children may need to call 911 for you someday. Teach your children not to play and dial 911 when there is no emergency as this can take the dispatcher away from a REAL emergency.

Do Not program 911 into a memory location or “speed dial” on your phone. When this number is in memory, it can be dialed accidentally by people pushing the wrong button. If a pattern of misuse of 911 is detected, legal action can be taken.