Properly I.D. homes for help in emergency

Whether it’s firefighters, emergency medical technicians, mail carriers or even long-lost relatives visiting for the holidays, having a home properly identified will pay dividends. Should an emergency occur, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Too many homes and businesses in Northeast Oregon lack such identification. In an emergency, response time of firefighters, emergency vehicles and personnel could be hampered. When every second counts, such as in cases of heart attack and stroke, seizure, electrocution, choking or poisoning, lives could be lost — all over something as simple as properly identifying a home with numbers.

Emergency crews recommend numbers that are at least 4 inches high and contrast with their background. For example, if your house is white, black letters and numbers show up well from the street. Houses farther than 50 feet off the street may want a 4x4 post at the end of the driveway clearly marked with the address. Where more than one home can be accessed off a single street or road, addresses should be clearly posted along each individual driveway. Be sure the numbers can be seen at night.

The numbers can be high style as long as they are easy to read. Post numbers anywhere they can be easily seen from the road, directly on a house, apartment or garage, by the street on a post, but preferably not on a curb that might be buried in a snowbank. The life you save may be your own.