IP Emergency Services

CACRelay will process 911 emergency calls if received. BUT, please be aware of IP relay 911 limitations!

Your call goes to us, not the actual 911 center

If you choose not to use TTY and regular phone line, an emergency call made using VRS or text relay presents a challenge. Why? When you make the call, it is connected through a CA or Video Interpreter, rather than directly to the appropriate local emergency service center.

We won’t know your location address

With TTY and telephone service, the caller’s exact location and contact information is automatically sent to the 911 dispatcher. When an emergency call is made over the internet using VRS or text relay, we don’t know where you are and you will need to give us your location address.

You MUST give your exact location

When calling 911 with VRS or text relay, you must provide your exact location to the Communication Assistant or Video Interpreter so the local emergency services may be sent. Without your location, we cannot route the the emergency call to the appropriate local emergency service department, and this MAY result in a serious delay.

If no address given and the call is disconnected, we may not be able to call you back

If your call is disconnected for any reason before contact information has been provided, we may not be able to contact you back.

Our agents may be hundreds of miles away from you

Keep in mind, when calling 911 using VRS or text relay, you may reach an agent several hundred miles away, unlike when calling 911 using a traditional phone line or TTY.