Dialing 911 for Emergencies

ZVRS and Purple Communications (subdivisions of ZP Better Together, LLC, hereinafter referred to as “ZP”) accept emergency calls made to 911 through its video relay service. To make a 911 call, just dial “911” from your ZVRS or Purple videophone or a desktop/laptop computer or mobile device with the ZVRS application Z5 or Purple application P3.

With your ZVRS or Purple local number, you will be able to make a 911 call from your ZVRS or Purple videophone/software and ZVRS or Purple will automatically route that call to the appropriate emergency 911 service center.  In order to do this, ZVRS or Purple will need you to provide us with your “Registered Location” — the exact physical address where you are likely to need 911 help. Typically, this will be the home or office where you keep your videophone. You will be able to provide us with your Registered Location through your online account profile at https://my.zvrs.com/ or https://account.purplevrs.com/ and you will be responsible for changing that registered location any time you move to a new address. Each time you change your Registered Location you will receive a confirmation email from ZVRS or Purple.  It is critical that you keep your Registered Location information updated in order to get assistance in an emergency, so please remember to change this data anytime you move to a new address.

In many cases, especially with a mobile phone, you will be at a location that is different from the address in your profile. You should be prepared to know the location to be able to give to the video interpreter so the first responders can come to assist you.

To set up your location for the first time, it will need to be verified by phone with a Customer Experience Team representative. ZVRS or Purple accepts emergency calls made to 911 through its video relay service. To make a 911 call, just dial “911” from your ZVRS or Purple videophone.

It is very important that you keep the address (location) in the profile of your videophone or softphone up to date.

 When you dial “911”, the following is what you can expect:

• your call will be moved to the top of the queue for it to be answered by the first available video interpreter
• the video interpreter will see your address (location) that you have on your profile and call 911 (the appropriate emergency contact center.)
• the call will go to the appropriate emergency call center that serves the address shown in your profile. (The emergency call center is also known as public-safety answering point (PSAP))
• the contact person at the emergency call center then talks to you through the video interpreter. They will verify the address, and ask what kind of emergency you have. While this may take some time, this verification process is important so they can send the right kind of assistance to your location.
• it is important for you to try to remain calm and be clear in your communication with the video interpreter (We all know it is hard to be calm in emergency situations.)
• after the emergency call center gathers all the information, they will then disconnect the call and send assistance your way. (note: most PSAPs’ protocols require its call dispatchers to remain on line with the caller until the first responder arrives at the scene.)
• if your emergency situation changes, you should be able to call 911 again.
• if for some reason, the emergency call gets disconnected, the video interpreter will make an effort to connect again

In an emergency call, the video interpreter may use the term “first responder”. It means police, fire or EMS.

If you are physically unable to make a video call, it is recommended that you use a regular landline phone and dial 911, then leave the phone off the hook. The appropriate emergency call center will recognize this and send assistance your way.

It is very important to keep your address (location) information in your profile current. This will save time during a 911 call. Remember, for some emergencies, minutes can make a difference. A wrong address can result an assistance being sent to the wrong location.

To change your location:

• For ZVRS/Purple videophone and Z5/P3 application you can do it either way:
• call Customer Experience Team at 866-932-7891 and advise them of your new location or changed location, or
• you can login to your profile at https://my.zvrs.com/ or https://account.purplevrs.com/.  When your profile comes up, click “My Locations” for ZVRS and “E911 Address” for Purple to change your location if needed.  Click “My Videophones” for ZVRS and select the phone number of the device you want to assign your address to.
• For Z5/P3 application:
• In addition to the above, you can set up or change locations by using the “Settings.”

In many cases, especially with a mobile phone, you will be at a location that is different from the address in your profile. You should be prepared to know the location to be able to give to the video interpreter so the first responders can come to assist you. When you use the Z5 app or P3 app on your mobile device, ZVRS and Purple are implementing an enhanced 911 (“E911”) capability that is designed to transmit more location details when you use the app to make a 911 call. The E911 capability requires that you enable location services on your mobile device and give permission for the Z5 app or P3 app to access your device’s location information.

NOTE: VRS is not liable for any error during the emergency call process, or for any delay in the call process or availability of video interpreters. ZVRS and Purple are also not liable for any error in the transmission or interpretation of any information pertaining to the emergency, including but not limited to: location, identifying information such as names, nature of emergencies, or any other details shared during the call. Additionally, ZVRS and Purple are not liable for any delays or problems with emergency personnel’s arrival or services.

WARNING: Please be aware the due to inherent technical limitation of some VRS-based 911 calls, automatic transmission of your location information to 911 emergency call center may not occur. The resulting need to gather this information and convey it to emergency responders manually increases the amount of time for these calls, as well as the risk of error. In situation where you are unable to place 911 call via VRS, ZVRS and Purple recommend you to call 911 with a regular phone and then leave the phone off the hook. The appropriate emergency call center will recognize this and send assistance your way.