There is no greater subject of misinformation and confusion in the emergency telephone business than that of telephone lines.
The typical questions are:
- Do I have to have emergency phone lines? Not necessarily.
- Doesn’t code say they have to be dedicated lines? No.
- Can my emergency phones share a phone line with my fax machine, back office line, etc.? Not without the right technology.
- How can I tell if my system is code compliant? Test your phones using our step by step instructions.
In a nutshell…
In order for emergency telephones to work, they have to have access to a two-way communication path. This path could take the form of a traditional telephone line, a cellular connection, a two-way radio telephone link, or even be an Internet link such as a VoIP or Wi-Fi connection. Most often today, the path is a traditional phone line or a cellular connection.
None of the national codes associated with emergency phones (ADA, ASME, IBC or ANSI) require a dedicated phone line or dedicated communication path. But logically, the emergency phone should have priority access to the communication path. After all, when an emergency phone is needed, the call should not be blocked by any other use of that line.
On the subject of an emergency phone sharing its communication path with other devices, it is possible, but a bit of technology is required in order to give priority access to the emergency phone. Kings III has equipment to deliver this technology for you.
Kings III emergency phones utilize proven, reliable landline and cellular communication pathways. We also utilize our phone line consolidation technology to not only enable code compliant line sharing with devices such as fax machines and modems, but also enable multiple emergency phones to operate simultaneously over a single line.
How it works
With our unique dialer, all phone calls are consolidated, enabling simultaneous two-way communication between each elevator cab and our Emergency Dispatch Center. As each phone is activated it sends an identifying signal, allowing our operators to locate each caller to the specific cab, as ADA requires. We support up to 8 elevator cabs on a single Kings III dialer.
Let’s revisit the questions first posed at the top of the page:
Do I have to have emergency phone lines?
No, Kings III offers code compliant solutions that don’t require emergency phone lines.
Doesn’t code say they have to be dedicated lines?
No, the intent of the code is that the emergency phone always have priority access to the phone line. Kings III offers reliable technology to ensure code compliance while eliminating your need for costly dedicated emergency phone lines.
Can my emergency phones share a phone line with my fax machine?
Yes, with Kings III’s smart line seizure technology your emergency phones can properly share the phone line with fax machines and other telephone devices.
How can I tell if my system is code compliant?
You can easily test your phones to ensure that you are meeting the national codes. For an easy step by step process just use our testing procedure.
By eliminating your reliance on dedicated emergency phone lines, Kings III’s All Inclusive Turnkey Services can pay for themselves through savings every month.
