How to Enable Direct911 (E911) for Buildings

1. Why CrisisGo Direct911

When a crisis occurs, the most essential response is to notify first responders by calling 911. CrisisGo Direct911 makes this process more efficient by automatically transmitting enhanced, pre-validated information—such as the exact location, alert details, and routing to the appropriate dispatch center.

Time is critical during an emergency. Direct911 ensures you can respond quickly and effectively, providing 911 dispatchers with all the necessary information—location, event type, room number, and GPS data—in a single action.

2. How It Works

CrisisGo Direct911 works in both real emergencies and drill exercises. Check the details below to learn more about how it functions in these two different scenarios.

TIP: During a drill exercise, no real 911 dispatchers are involved—only testing-purpose bots. This allows you to safely run as many drills as needed and effectively train your safety teams.

2.1 Default Workflow

This workflow is appropriate for most of our customers.

During a Real Emergency

1. An alert is sent out through the CrisisGo app or other integrated hardware.
2. CrisisGo then calls your designated, predefined list of internal E911 Emergency Contacts for the building.
3. Once a contact answers the phone and presses '1' to confirm it's not a voicemail, CrisisGo Direct911 connects them to the appropriate 911 dispatch center (PSAP), along with pre-validated information such as the alert type, school name, building address, and more.
4. The dispatcher receives and verifies the information, then sends help immediately.

During a Drill Exercise

1. A Drill Alert is sent out through the CrisisGo app or other integrated hardware.
2. CrisisGo then calls your designated, predefined list of internal E911 Emergency Contacts for the building. This ensures that your emergency contacts follow the same operational process as they would during a real emergency.
3. Once a contact answers the phone and presses '1' to confirm it's not a voicemail, CrisisGo Direct911 connects them to the 933 Bot Test Service, along with pre-validated information such as the alert type, school name, building address, and more.
4. Finally, unlike a real emergency, during a Drill Exercise, the 933 Bot Test Service repeats all the information sent by CrisisGo to the contact, allowing the contact to validate the details and complete the drill.

2.2 Customized Workflow

Some customers prefer the 911 dispatch center to receive CrisisGo alerts directly, without human involvement, to accelerate emergency response. This is known as a Machine-Initiated 911 Call, Robotic Call, or Device-Originated Call—i.e., with no live audio between the caller and 911.

However, most 911 centers do not allow this approach. To implement it, you must first obtain approval from your local PSAP or police department (PD). Once approved, contact CrisisGo Support with documentation confirming their authorization.

After verification, our team will manually update your workspace to use the customized workflow.

3. Enabling Direct911 (E911) for Building(s)

This section provides a step-by-step guide on enabling CrisisGo Direct911 (E911) for your building(s).

3.1 Create a Building With a Valid Address

To enable CrisisGo Direct911 for your building(s), you need to have at least one building with a valid address. These are typically preconfigured for you during the CrisisGo onboarding process, so no action is usually required in this step.

However, you can verify this by hovering over the Organization tab at the top of the CrisisGo Console and selecting 'Building Management'. A location icon will appear under the Location column for any building with an address. Check the address and location to ensure they are accurate.

If you notice a missing building, a missing address, or any irregularities, please contact CrisisGo Support.

3.2 Enable Direct911 (E911) for Building(s)

After your building(s) are prepared, you'll need to add them to the CrisisGo E911 Integration to enable the feature. Here's how.

1. Open CrisisGo Integrations by hovering over your avatar in the top-right corner of CrisisGo Console, then click 'Integrations'.

2. On the My Integrations / Installed page, locate E911, click the gear icon in the right corner, and select 'Configuration'.

3. On the Configuration E911 page, click 'Add Building'.

4. In the Add E911 Building prompt, select 'One Building', then choose your building from the drop-down list. The preconfigured building address will appear under the Building Address section. Review it before submitting. If everything looks correct, check the 'I declare that...' box and click 'SAVE'.

You can follow the same process later to add additional building(s).

NOTE: When you add a building to the E911 Integration, the CrisisGo Support team is automatically notified. The building status will be marked as Pending Review while the Support team verifies the address for validation.

This process typically takes up to 24 business hours. In the meantime, please proceed to the section below to add your E911 Emergency Contacts for this building.

3.3. Add E911 Emergency Contacts

1. After adding the building, locate it in the list and click the 'Contact' icon on the right. On the contact list page, click 'New Contact' to add E911 Emergency Contact for the building.

WARNING: You must add at least one verified E911 Emergency Contact; otherwise, the E911 integration for this building will not function properly.

2. Once you click 'New Contact', the Add E911 Contact prompt will appear. Follow the on-page instructions to complete the form, then click 'SAVE'.

You can follow the same process to add additional contacts to the list.

Once contacts are added, use the sort arrows under the Action column to adjust the call order. The call list is prioritized in descending order, meaning the first contact to be called should appear at the top. Not sure what the call is for? Check the How It Works section.

NOTE: After you save a contact, they must verify their identity, email, and phone number to ensure there were no manual errors during contact creation and to avoid potential issues—such as an updated phone number, changed email address, or if they are no longer part of the safety team.

To learn more about the contact verification process, please expand the detailed explanation below.

What happens after I add a contact?

• The contact record will be saved to the E911 Contacts list, and the contact status will be set to Pending Verification.

• A verification email and SMS (if CrisisGo SMS services are enabled) will be sent to the contact. The contact should click the link in the email or SMS to verify their information.

  During the verification, one of the following three outcomes may occur:

  • Verification Successful: If the contact reviews their information and verifies their phone number, the status will update from Pending Verification to Verified, indicating the contact is now confirmed.
  • Verification Failed: If any information is incorrect, the contact can report the issue through the verification page and leave detailed comments. The contact's status will then update to Verification Failed. You will be notified by CrisisGo via email and are responsible for following the instructions provided in the email to review their comments and resolve the issue accordingly.
  • Pending Verification: If the contact does not open the email or SMS from the CrisisGo system or does not complete the verification process, the status will remain Pending Verification. In this case, you are responsible for reminding the contact to complete the verification or add another contact.

4. Perform a Drill Exercise

Congratulations! So far, you've enabled CrisisGo Direct911 (E911) for some of your buildings. Now it's time to run some Drill Exercises to train your safety team before a real emergency occurs. Follow this instruction to learn How to Do a Direct911 (E911) Drill Exercise.