Viewpoints
Importance of Visible Street
Numbers
By Scott R. Davis
January 16, 2006
Monday AM
I must applaud Jerry Cegelske's efforts in educating the public
on the importance of street numbers visible from main streets
in the Ketchikan area.
Often times in the South Tongass area, we too are faced with
the difficulty of finding the correct building corresponding
to the given street address from dispatch. This can be very frustrating
for responders who must then identify each house with a number
thereby eliminating those houses as the 911 caller thus finding
the correct house.
This brings to mind an incident quite recently in the South Tongass
area on a clear night in which members were at the fire station
and responded to the 911 dispatch for an ambulance call. This
department was on scene in 2 minutes. But due to the lack of
house numbers, visible street addresses, and the need to eliminate
structures to find the correct address, our patient contact
time was nearly 6 additional minutes.
In the event of cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, or the like,
this can mean the difference between a person surviving or not.
The solution would be to check your residence and the mailbox
(or post) leading from the main road system to be certain your
house numbers are visible to emergency responders. Numbers often
times fall off of mailboxes, become dim from the elements, or
are damaged by other means. Maintenance of these numbers in just
as important as their installation. Numbers should be at least
4" high with a 1/2 stoke width. This is a minimum standard.
Larger numbers may be necessary when visibility is poor.
In addition, if you have questions regarding the visibility of
your street numbers, and/or their location, you are urged to
call your local fire department for their proper location and
size.
Scott R. Davis, Fire Chief
South Tongass Vol. Fire Dept.
Ketchikan AK - USA
About: Scott R. Davis is the
Fire Chief of the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department.
He has served 20 years in fire/ems services.
Related Viewpoint:
 Where
Do You Live? By Jerry Cegelske - Ketchikan AK - USA
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