Replacing the line on pool phones, blue light phones and refuge call stations

Pool emergency phones

Many states and counties require a phone at public pools. North Carolina is a good example of how specific the rules get. Its pool rule requires a phone that can dial 911 directly, permanently mounted inside the pool enclosure or within 75 feet of a bather entrance, with a sign giving dialing instructions and the pool's address.

Rules differ by state and county, so check with the health department that inspects your pool before changing the line.

Source: NC DHHS report on public pool phones, quoting 15A NCAC 18A .2530(f).

Elevator landing and area of refuge call stations

The International Building Code requires a two-way communication system at the elevator landing on each accessible floor above or below the exit level, unless one is provided in the area of refuge instead. The 2018 edition says these systems connect to the fire command center or a central control point approved by the fire department, and that where that point isn't staffed at all times, the system needs a timed automatic dial-out to a monitoring location or 911.

That dial-out is often a copper phone line. The systems themselves must be listed to UL 2525 and installed under NFPA 72, so the fire marshal is the one to ask about any change.

Sources: IBC 2018 section 1009.8, California Building Code reprint of 1009.8. Your jurisdiction may use a different edition.

Blue light and parking lot phones

Campus and parking lot emergency phones usually call security or 911 at the push of a button. They are often spread across a property on long copper runs, which makes them some of the first lines to fail when a carrier stops maintaining copper.

Ooma lists blue light safety phones and pool phones among the systems AirDial supports.

Source: Ooma AirDial.

Steps to switch

• List every emergency phone and the number it uses. They are easy to miss on a phone bill.
• Ask the inspector who signs off on each one (health department for pools, fire marshal for refuge and elevator landing stations) what they need from a replacement.
• Confirm the 911 address registered for each line, so a call shows the right location.
• Check cellular signal at each phone, and plan an antenna for anything outdoors or underground.
• Install the replacement, such as Ooma AirDial, and test a real call from each phone, including during a power cut.
• Cancel the copper lines only after every test passes.