Wrong House Numbers Could Delay Emergency Help
WASHINGTON COUNTY-- Sooner or later you, or your family will most likely need emergency help from first responders, but they need your help fist. They need to be able to find you? Not having a visible address on your home could impact your safety.
Officials say they see problems with house signs about 10 times week, but say if you buy a new visible and reflective house number that will go a long way to finding your residence sooner. Your home address, those three, four or five numbers on your mailbox or house, identifying exactly where you live and also critical for first responders to find you in a timely manner.
"The major problem is the lack of house numbers," said Washington County Emergency Medical Services Director Randy Truette. "The wrong house numbers. The house numbers not being visible due to obstructions."
But Truette says one of the biggest issues is not having reflective signs, which are easier to see, and in fact necessary at night.
"We're forever getting someone to come out of a home and say 'Hey we're looking for this address," and they "Well, it's back about five houses,'. So it happens pretty frequently," Truette said.
Officials say mobile home communities are the most problematic when it comes to having proper house numbers. Here you can see a number of these are missing that valuable information and officials say when they go into those communities and the homes are also missing the numbers it cuts into valuable time.
"It delays the response as well as far as getting proper medical treatment to that to the patient," explained Washington County EMS Paramedic Supervisor Joey Tharp. "Probably the average of two or three minutes if they're neighbors don't have the numbers, it's gonna delay it that much longer because."
Tharp says these reflective signs are what you should have.
"I think a lot of people just lack the knowledge and the benefit of actually having those out by their house," Tharp explained.
Officials point out you also need to make sure your phone provider has your correct 911 address, and make sure the signs are visible from the road in both directions. If you live a decent distance from the road, officials say your address should also be posted at the entrance of your driveway.They also say your address numbers should be replaced every few years.
Article from WJHG.com