Community Programs

Address Sign Program Could Be A Lifesaver

When you dial 9-1-1, will the people who respond to your call for help be able to find you? The employees of Northland Regional Ambulance District want to make certain you can answer "yes" to that question.

In an emergency situation, having a visible address sign at the entrance to your property can mean the difference between life and death. Yet one of the biggest problems rescue workers face when responding to an emergency call is locating the house number. The problem is compounded in rural areas, because numbers are often non-sequential, homes are farther from the roadway, and are often hidden by trees or topography.

NRAD has implemented a 9-1-1 Address Sign program in hopes of alleviating this problem. Participation will dramatically improve the odds of your home being easily and quickly located by rescue workers. Taking advantage of the sign program is simple. Complete a brief application and submit $10 to cover a portion of the cost of the sign and mounting hardware. An NRAD crew will call you to set up a time to install your new address sign. Signs are typically installed within two weeks of the application date.

The signs resemble standard street signs, and measure 8 x 16-inches. Three-inch white reflective numbers on a green background make the signs highly visible. Your house number is printed on both sides of the sign, so your address is visible regardless which direction rescue crews respond from.

The signs can be mounted horizontally or vertically, on wood or metal. The crew that comes to install your sign will work with you to select the most visible location for your particular situation.

It is not necessary for you to be at home during the installation; however, NRAD crews welcome the opportunity to visit with the residents of their district, answer any questions about the service - even give tours of the ambulance for those who are interested.

Applications for the sign program are available by calling any ambulance base, 532-0850 in Smithville, Dearborn 450-3746 or 858-4450 in Platte City.

The duty crews are often out of the station on an emergency call, so if there is no answer, leave your name and number. If you have more than one property where you would like a sign installed, please request a separate application for each location.

"Taking a few minutes now to get one of these signs installed will save precious minutes when a life may be at stake," said Marty Flinn, coordinator of the program and NRAD paramedic. "It's important to those of us who have chosen emergency medical services as a profession to be able to locate our patients quickly. The time these signs save, may save a life."

For more information, call the main office at 816-858-4450 or e-mail TTaylor@nrad-ems.org