What does this mean?
To emergency personnel it could mean the difference between life and death,
just in time or too late. To a homeowner it could mean “why did they pass
by?”, or “why aren’t they here?”
To explain this you need to understand what emergency personnel responding to
your home or business are up against. Whether it’s the ambulance responding
to a medical or a fire truck responding to an investigation, it’s of utmost
importance to have your property clearly numbered. Can it be seen at night so
emergency personnel can locate it?
Things to remember:
When emergency personnel are responding to your home they will be looking for
your house number. Keep in mind that if you put a gold colored number on a white
house, the numbers become very hard to read; black numbers on a white background
is the best. You have to have some kind of contrast in the colors. If you place
the number on the door, remember not to put a wreath or any ornaments on the
door as it will block the view of the number. If marked on a curb or post in
the yard, the winter months will cause problems if not maintained properly.
If you look around you will realize some of the problems we are faced with everyday
and understand how easy it is to correct them, making our arrival just a little
easier. Our goal is to have an efficient and effective response with no delays.
How can you make it better?
First thing you have to do is ask yourself a few questions. Is my home or business
clearly marked with the street number? Are the numbers large enough? Can they
be seen at night? Can they be seen from the road? Is there anything I can do
to make them more visible and not cause a delay in an emergency?
Things to do:
House numbers should be no less than 4 inches in height, visible from the road
and well lit at night. They can be posted at the front door, on the curb, on
a post in the front yard, on the garage or mail box.
Make sure your street signs are up and visible.