911 Information
ZIP is committed to meeting and/or exceeding all CRTC and FCC mandates and requirements related to Emergency 911 services. Please continue to check this section of our website for updated information.
ZIP offers basic 911 service to all customers
ZIP’s basic 911 service utilizes a third party agent that answers your emergency calls and transfers your call to the appropriate authority (police, fire, ambulance) based on your geographic location and the nature of the emergency. Our agent uses fully trained 911 operators who will answer your call, ask you the nature of the emergency and remain on the telephone with you until the appropriate authorities have arrived. Our agent has access to your 911 service address information and will seek to confirm that this is the address you are dialing from to assist in the transfer process. Confidentiality is assured.
When dialing a 911 emergency call, follow these simple procedures:
- be prepared to provide the ZIP 911 operator with your geographic location (province and city) and a call-back phone number;
- ZIP’s 911 operator will transfer your call to the local 911 operator. Be prepared to provide your exact geographic location (e.g. street name and number, suite / apartment, city ...);
- The 911 Operator will then dispatch the appropriate emergency service. DO NOT HANG UP until you are told to do so. Call back immediately if you get disconnected.
Be sure to remember:
- ZIP service is portable to any location with broadband Internet access - however, basic 911 is only available only in North America.
- If you move, please update your account with your new 911 service address. You will need to call ZIP Customer Service at 1-866-931-9232 to change your Emergency 911 address.
- Your 911 emergency call will not be automatically routed to a 911 response centre and your location information and phone number will not be automatically delivered to the 911 response centre.
- 911 emergency calls from ZIP’s service will take longer to be connected to the correct emergency authority than calls made from a traditional wireline phone.
- 911 emergency service will not function if the Access Device is not configured properly or if your ZIP service is not functioning for any reason. Electrical power outages and disruptions to your high-speed Internet connection may cause temporary outages to your ZIP service, which could prevent you from making 911 calls through ZIP. If you chose to have ZIP's 911 service, it will NOT be the same as 911 service from a telephone company, because IT WILL NOT WORK IF (a) YOU LOSE POWER TO YOUR ZIP EQUIPMENT, (b) YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION SLOWS DOWN OR IS INTERRUPTED, (c) YOUR SERVICE IS DISCONNECTED FOR NON-PAYMENT, OR (d) A SERVICE OUTAGE OCCURS FOR ANY OTHER REASON.
- Whenever possible, use a traditional wireline phone for 911 emergency calls.
Customers who want enhanced 911 service should always have an alternative means of accessing emergency service. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions or your Client Service Agreement for other important limitations and considerations regarding Emergency 911 service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between basic 911 and enhanced 911 Service?
Basic 911 service consists of routing 911 dialed calls to a designated PSAP, which is a specialized emergency call-answer centre for all 911 calls originating within a specific geographic area. A PSAP connects a 911 caller to the required emergency services agency (police, fire and/or ambulance). The PSAP agent typically sees the caller's telephone number, but not the caller's location information. Enhanced 911 includes all the capabilities provided by Basic 911 service, as well as certain features and capabilities including Automatic Location Information (ALI) functionality and call control features that provide the PSAP agent with control over the line on which a 911 call is placed. With Enhanced 911, the emergency operator receives the name, address, and origination phone number of the caller. With this service the caller does not need to verbally give their location to the operator. Basic 911 does not automatically transmit the name, address, and origination phone number. The caller must provide this information.
What happens to 911 service if I take my VoIP Router and / or IP phone with me when I travel?
It's very important to note that 911 service may not operate properly when you are using your service outside of the 911 service address registered with ZIP. ZIP service is portable to any location with broadband Internet access - however, ZIP’s basic 911 for customers is only available in Canada.
Document version: PP9501
Published: 5 January, 2009
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