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Emergency Locations

Emergency Locations describe the physical places your users call from, so that when someone dials an emergency number the call presents the right location information and the right people are alerted. In a phone system, extensions are not tied to a street address the way a traditional line is - a softphone or a remote desk phone could be anywhere - so you define each location here, associate extensions with it, and set the Caller ID and notifications that should apply to emergency calls from that place. This is central to E911-style handling: getting responders to the correct address and letting on-site staff know an emergency call was placed.

As this section controls the system behavior in emergency situations, it is critical that any settings made here are thoroughly tested and verified. Requirements for emergency-call location and Caller ID are regulated in many jurisdictions - confirm what your carrier and local law require.

Create/Edit Emergency Location

Name. Emergency Location name.

Address. Emergency Location address.

Caller ID for Emergency Calls. If Caller ID for Emergency Calls is specified, it will override the default Tenant level Caller ID for Emergency Calls, which in turn will be overridden by the Caller ID for Emergency Calls specified for an individual User Extension.

Emergency Notification by Phone Call. If specified, then the system will attempt to call this number if an emergency call is made from any extension belonging to this Emergency Location.

Emergency Notification by Email. If specified, then the system will attempt to send an email to this address if an emergency call is made from any extension belonging to this Emergency Location.

How Caller ID is resolved

The Caller ID for Emergency Calls is layered from least to most specific: the tenant-level value is the baseline, an Emergency Location overrides it for extensions assigned to that location, and a value set on an individual User Extension overrides both. The most specific value present is the one used.

Best practices

  • Set a notification (phone call, email, or both) so someone on site - a receptionist or security desk - is immediately aware when an emergency call is placed, even before responders arrive.
  • Keep addresses accurate and current, especially for remote or home-based extensions, and re-verify whenever people move.
  • Place a real test call following your carrier’s guidance after any change here, and re-test periodically - this is one area where an untested misconfiguration has serious consequences.
  • User Extensions - assign extensions to a location and set per-user emergency Caller ID and trunk override.
  • Outbound Call Routes - ensure emergency number patterns are routed correctly.