Emergency calling
Emergency calls are special-cased throughout Exovo: they bypass permission checks, survive license problems, and open a callback window so emergency services can reach the site back. Getting them configured correctly is part of commissioning any system.
Configuring emergency numbers
An emergency number is an ordinary outbound rule with the
Emergency rule (911/933) checkbox set. A fresh system already has one — the 3-digit rule
matching 911 and 933 (and 411) — but verify it points at a trunk that can actually deliver
emergency calls for your location. The rule shows a red Emergency badge in the list.
933 deserves a scheduled test: on most North American carriers it reads back the number and
address your provider has on file for you — the safe way to confirm 911 provisioning without
placing a live emergency call.
Emergency routing guarantees
Rules marked emergency are treated differently from every other call:
- Dialing-class restrictions don't apply — an extension with no outbound permissions at all can still dial 911.
- License state doesn't apply — a system whose license has expired or been suspended restricts normal calling, but emergency rules keep working.
- Every emergency call is logged and alerted — administrators get an email notification the moment an emergency rule is matched, so the office knows someone dialed 911.
The PSAP callback window
When a 911 call disconnects, the dispatcher (PSAP) will often call back. For a period after any emergency call, inbound calls from the number the emergency call reached are given priority treatment — routed straight back toward the extension that dialed, bypassing IVRs, queues and office-hours routing that would otherwise stand between a dispatcher and the caller.
Location and caller ID
The address emergency services see comes from your carrier's E911 records, keyed on the caller ID the call presents — Exovo can only control the number, not the address behind it.
- Make sure the caller ID presented on emergency calls (the emergency rule's route caller ID, or the trunk main number) is a DID whose E911 address is registered with your provider and current.
- Multi-site deployments need care: if remote-office users present the headquarters' main number, their 911 call reports the wrong address. Give each site its own DID with its own E911 registration, and use per-user caller ID or a per-site emergency rule (restricted to that site's extensions or group) to present it.
- Remote and home workers on the web client or mobile app should understand their 911 call presents the office's registered address — a limitation inherent to nomadic VoIP that's worth stating in your company's telephony policy.