A FLT ATTENDANT RPTS DEPARTING THE GATE WITH CABIN INTERPHONE AND AFT CABIN HANDSETS INOP. WHEN THE EVAC SYS WAS FOUND INOP; ACFT RETURNED TO THE GATE.

Narrative

OUR PREFLT STATED THE FOLLOWING WRITE-UPS: CABIN INTERPHONE INOP AND AFT FLT ATTENDANT HANDSET INOP. I WAS THE PURSER ON THIS FLT. DURING PREFLT SAFETY CHKS; THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS REALIZED THAT THE AFT PA WAS ALSO INOP. WE WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE WE HAD NO MEANS OF COM BTWN EACH OTHER. THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS HAD NO WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE COCKPIT. I ASKED THE CAPT TO CHK WITH MAINT. THE CAPT ASKED ME TO CHK THE FOM. WE FOUND THE FOM TO BE UNCLR ON WHICH COM SYS NEEDED TO BE OPERABLE. PAX WERE BOARDED AND THE ACFT DOOR WAS CLOSED. CAPT APOLOGIZED TO ME THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO GET MAINT ITEMS FIXED. I WAS SURPRISED THAT THE ACFT WAS OK TO GO; BUT ASSUMED THAT MAINT HAD CLRED THE ACFT TO GO. DURING TAXI OUT; ONE OF THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS CAME UP FRONT AND ADVISED ME THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO OPERATE THE LIGHT SWITCHES AT THE PANEL AT DOOR X. THEY WERE NOW CONCERNED THAT THE EVAC SYS MIGHT NOT BE OPERABLE AND URGED ME TO CALL THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT WAS IMMEDIATELY CONCERNED AND SAID THAT HE WOULD PULL OVER AND CALL MAINT. WE EVENTUALLY TESTED THE EVAC SYS AT DOOR X; THE LIGHTS WORKED BUT THE EVAC HORN OR SOUND DID NOT. THE CAPT THEN HAD ME TEST THE EVAC COMMAND AT DOOR Y AND IT WAS OPERABLE. WE THEN RETURNED TO THE GATE. WHEN THE MECHS BOARDED THE ACFT; THEY WERE VERY ANGRY; THEY TOLD US THAT THEY HAD NOT CLRED THE ACFT TO DEPART; THAT THE CAPT HAD CLRED THE ACFT. THEY ALSO ASKED WHY WE DID NOT TEST THE EVAC SYS BEFORE WE LEFT THE GATE. WE TOLD THEM THAT THIS WAS NOT PART OF OUR PREFLT SAFETY CHK. WE NOW FEEL THAT IT SHOULD BE. HAD WE NEEDED TO EVAC THE AIRPLANE; WE BELIEVE THAT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES; IN THAT THE COCKPIT WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN TO STOP THE ACFT. WE ALSO WONDER WHETHER IT WAS SAFE TO DISPATCH THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT COVERT COM POSSIBILITIES BTWN THE CREW MEMBERS IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF LEVEL 3 AND 4 SAFETY THREATS. ALSO; I WOULD LIKE TO ONCE AGAIN STATE THAT THE FOM WAS VERY UNCLR TO ALL OF US. WE REALLY FEEL AFTER THIS INCIDENT THAT THE EVAC SYS SHOULD BE TESTED DURING PREFLT CHKS.