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When emergency responders must hurry to a fire or medicalemergency, every minute counts. That"s why it"s crucial for residents and businesses tohave visible numerical addresses prominently displayed andidentifying their buildings for personnel to spot when they rush toa call. "If you"re identified, it makes it easier for us tofind you," said Mike Neal, chief of Ringgold Fire &Rescue. Neal said his agency ran 836 fire and EMS calls last year andestimates that about one out of five or six calls is affected bynumerical addresses that are absent, out of sequence or not easilyvisible. To address the problem, Neal said his station beganselling metal green signs — 18 inches long and 6 inches widewith reflective characters — about 10 years ago for residentsto purchase. About 30 percent of Neal"s coverage area that includes about3,100 residents and businesses has bought the signs, he said. Thatmakes the job of emergency responders, as well as law enforcement,much easier. "It does definitely help," Neal said. According to Pittsylvania County code, a habitable structuresitting more than 50 feet from the road must have its numericaladdress on the building and at the end of the driveway. One lessthan 50 feet from the road must display its address at thedriveway"s entrance, said Jim Davis, emergency servicescoordinator for Pittsylvania County. Chris Key, chief of Brosville Community Volunteer Fire Department,said some houses may have mailboxes at the end of long drivewayswith no numbers. There may be a cluster of homes with severalmailboxes and no indication of which house matches the addressgiven during a 911 call, Key said. Those types of calls may happenabout once a month, he said. Key said emergency personnel sometimes tell residents they need todisplay visible numerical addresses on their houses and/or ondriveways. "We try to address it while we"re there," Keysaid, adding that the department keeps updated maps in it trucks. In the county, personnel experiencing difficulty finding an addresswill call 911 dispatchers, who can pinpoint locations and guideresponders using a computerized geographic information system, Keysaid. There have been no fatal or disastrous results from the shortdelays so far, but every minute is crucial in an emergency. "The quicker we can get there, the quicker we can remedy theproblem," said Key, adding that Brosville had about 600 fireand EMS calls in 2011. Bob Thurman, assistant chief with Tunstall Fire & Rescue, saidthere may be new houses sitting unmarked behind existing homes,making it difficult for responders. Displaying visible addressnumbers not only aids area firefighters and EMS responders, ithelps outside agencies providing assistance, Thurman said. "It helps the local fire department, but it really helps witha mutual aid call," Thurman said, adding that Tunstallreceives 400-600 fire and EMS calls annually. Tunstall personnel experience challenges related to numericaladdress issues about once every two months, Thurman said. "Everybody at one time or other has trouble identifying which(house) is which," Thurman said. To address the problem, Tunstall"s station sells 911 addresssigns, has binders with maps in its trucks and offers classes andtraining on the area"s routes, Thurman said. Tunstall alsoplans to encourage residents to purchase the signs in its letterasking for donations, he said. In Danville, firefighters have a GIS and mapping system at theready on calls. As soon as a call is dispatched, its location popsup on a computer inside the trucks, said Danville Fire DepartmentChief David Eagle. The agency has had the system for about fouryears, Eagle said. Before obtaining the GIS system, firefighters would sometimes haveto shine a spotlight from house to house to make sure they foundthe right location, Eagle said. Blocks would occasionally benumbered out of sequence but the city has worked to correct theissue, Eagle said. The Danville Fire Department requires its drivers to learn theirterritory, where streets and hydrants are located and how streetsare numbered, Eagle said. The department ran more than 6,000 fire, EMS and other relatedcalls in 2011. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Fashion Sunglasses Manufacturer , China Sports Eyewear for Basketball for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Interchangeable Lenses Sunglasses.
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