Kings III Emergency Communications

Kings III Emergency Communications is a family-owned company that strives to help its customers reduce their risk and liability. Its turnkey emergency communication services are utilized in such locations as elevators, pools, parking garages, campuses and more. Its Emergency Dispatch Center (EDC) is always on call to dispatch help from more than 6,000 Public Safety Answering Points across the U.S. There is a redundant backup center for the EDC, and operators at both locations have received advanced training — above what is often required in 911 response centers. Personnel include advanced emergency medical dispatchers, Red Cross cardiopulmonary resuscitation licensees and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-certified operators. The EDC’s advanced automation software digitally records, dates and timestamps each call, which Kings III states can prove invaluable to clients’ liability and proof-of-action concerns.

The Coppell, Texas-based company offers a full-service package, including equipment, installation, maintenance and monitoring. In efforts to expand its offerings, Kings III made a global expansion with the acquisition of Connexion2 and its SoloProtect and discreetSOS brands in 2013 (ELEVATOR WORLD, August 2013), which allowed its emergency-monitoring operation to include a fully managed service for lone worker safety connecting to the Kings III EDC device (EW, September 2015). Based in Sheffield, U.K., SoloProtect gives Kings III a European presence and brings its total employee number to 194.

Kings III’s Joint Venture Partner Program offers what it calls an “all-inclusive full turnkey solution,” providing equipment, installation, maintenance and 24/7 emergency monitoring with digital recording of all calls. The service keeps elevator companies from having to deal with elevator help phones and offers them a chance to increase their revenue from Americans Disabilities Act (ADA) phones. It also offers standalone phones as designer and manufacturer of the SafeCall line of ADA elevator phones (EW, August 2013).

Hardware

Elevator cab manufacturers often use the car operating panel (COP)-mounted SC-3000NB. This compact model fits in most returns, mounts with only two studs and may be used in horizontal or vertical orientations. Flush-mounted models are available in common sizes and finishes, including stainless steel and Muntz metal finishes.

Kings III’s most popular model for contractors is the SC-3000-U “Universal Replacement” unit. This COP-mounted phone is designed to replace COP-mounted models from any major ADA phone manufacturer. The speaker, microphone and indicator light may be positioned in a custom location without modifying either the phone or COP.

Software

Online Remote Monitoring (ORM) is intended as a complete elevator event detection and notification solution (EW, January 2013). The idea behind it is that knowing about elevator system events as soon as they happen is critical to contractors’ businesses and customers’ satisfaction. ORM immediately notifies mechanics and service dispatchers when a problem is detected.

Conclusion

Kings III has installed more than 75,000 emergency phones throughout the U.S. and Canada, and provides maintenance and monitoring for most of them. It boasts a nearly 97% customer retention rate. Perceiving itself as a one-stop emergency solution provider, Kings III promotes mitigation of exposure to litigation and liability by taking responsibility for proper installation, service and maintenance of its products, and offers to name its clients as “additional insured” under its multi-US$10-million combined liability, “errors and omissions” and umbrella insurance policies.