EPA Softphone Switch Sparks Safety Concerns Over 9-1-1 Geolocation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) replaced its legacy desk-phone systems with a cloud-based softphone application that runs on employees’ laptops. Union officials say the change has already caused a delay in a 9-1-1 response during a medical emergency at the agency’s San Francisco office, where the software allegedly failed to transmit the caller’s location.

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Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, warned that the software “doesn’t really work, apparently” and that the failure “ended up delaying a response.” He added that the lack of reliable geolocation “puts safety at risk” amid rising workplace violence and active-shooter drills. Chen also highlighted that field inspectors, who previously could mask personal cell numbers through the EPA system, now must rely on personal phones or ad-hoc laptop connections, which he called “a major problem.”

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The EPA said its legacy desk phones were at end-of-life and no longer vendor-supported, prompting a shift to a cloud-based softphone that it claims improves resilience, security and routes 9-1-1 calls with registered location data. Agency officials added that no system-wide malfunction has been found and that staff must use only authorized devices. Avaya, which provides the laptop calling service under an AT&T-managed contract, reported no service issues. 911 Secure, the maker of the geolocation software, said it has received no complaints and that any connection problems would stem from computer settings, not the software itself.

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Union representatives cite specific incidents of failed location transmission, while EPA, Avaya, and 911 Secure assert no widespread issues. The San Francisco incident remains under investigation, and AT&T declined to comment, leaving the root cause of the reported failures unclear.

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“doesn’t really work, apparently.” — Justin Chen, President, American Federation of Government Employees Council 238

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“If you don’t [have] cell service, if something like that happens, it’s like good luck doing a phone call from your laptop, I guess.” — Justin Chen

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“We try [to] do everything we can to make sure that the person who is using the application knows how important it is for them to keep it up,” — Kevin Kito, President & CEO, 911 Secure

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“Staff can make and receive calls using their official EPA number through the authorized softphone application.” — EPA spokesperson

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The EPA says the San Francisco case is still under review and urges employees experiencing configuration issues to contact the IT Service Desk. Agency officials indicate they will continue to evaluate and enable features that meet operational needs while maintaining security and privacy requirements.

The Hill