Press Room
Snap!VRS Provides Relay Customers With Enhanced 911 Emergency Call Services
Snap!VRS Connects with the Largest Emergency Network in the Industry to Identify the Local Emergency Services Provider
May 19, 2008
Pearl River, NY - Snap!VRS, the video relay services provider that distributes the Ojo video phone, today announced an enhanced capability for handling 911 emergency video calls placed to Snap!VRS by individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired.
"Snap!VRS wants its customers and their family members to be safe in the event of an emergency," said Richard Schatzberg, Snap!VRS Chief Executive Officer. "Our investment in new technologies and interpreter training will help ensure that our relay customers have 911 services."
In the event of an emergency, customers can dial "911" and select [TALK] on their Ojo or dial "ecall.snapvrs.com" on their VP to connect with a Snap!VRS interpreter. Their video screen will flash red and the 911 call will be assigned a priority status and moved to the top of the incoming call queue. The video screen for the interpreter will also flash red to reflect the emergency call status.
The interpreter will ask the customer for their name, street address, and a brief description of their emergency as required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Snap!VRS interpreter will then place an outbound call to the largest emergency network provider in the industry to identify and connect with the appropriate local emergency services provider known as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Customers can then communicate through the Snap!VRS interpreter about the emergency to the PSAP operator in order to receive the appropriate services.
"This is a first step in our overall efforts to provide customers with a reliable and prompt 911 service," continued Schatzberg. "More must be done to enable all VRS providers to handle Internet-based 911 video calls more quickly and easily for relay customers."
Because of the technical limitations of Internet-based 911 video calls, the time requirement involved in recording the customer's name and street address along with connecting customers to an appropriate local PSAP is not the most efficient option for placing 911 emergency calls. As a result, Snap!VRS still recommends that customers use a traditional TTY relay service to avoid a life-threatening delay. However, should customers choose to make emergency calls through Snap!VRS, the company is ready to take the call any time.
About Snap!VRS
Snap!VRS is a video relay service that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired to improve the connection with people in their personal and business lives. Eligible applicants receive a free Ojo video phone and use it to conduct true-to-life video relay calls through qualified sign language interpreters over a high-speed Internet connection. Customers communicate with the interpreter using sign language while the interpreter simultaneously relays the comments in spoken English to the standard telephone user. To learn more about Snap!VRS, visit www.snapvrs.com.
Media Contact:
Andrew Forti
Snap!VRS, Director of Marketing
(845) 652-7104 (Ojo users: dial 711; VP users: dial "snapvrs.tv")
aforti@snapvrs.com
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© 2008 Snap Telecommunications, Inc. All rights reserved. Snap!VRS is the division of Snap Telecommunications, Inc. providing video relay services. Snap Telecommunications, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aequus Technologies Corp. Ojo is a trademark of WorldGate Service, Inc.
