PSA: Marengo E-911 urges residents to clearly post addresses
Marengo County E-911 would like to remind the citizens of Marengo County the importance of having your address not only posted but also posted properly. Locating you quickly in your time of emergency without delay is our goal.
When a Marengo County E-911 Telecommunicator dispatches any emergency service unit whether it is Fire, Ambulance, Law Enforcement or First Responders to your residence in your time of need, having your address posted clearly and visibly allows them to find you much quicker. In most of Marengo County, a GPS does not provide accurate directions to an emergency scene and can lead responders to the wrong house address. As a result, responders rely on proper and visible placement of home addresses. We recommend that you post your address in a minimum of a 4inch reflective numbers. So that your address may be seen during the day and/or during the night, and will be reflected by headlights as well.
In your time of emergency, the responding units will be trying to locate you near the address of your home and not where you receive your mail. Having your address displayed on your mailbox for mail purposes is important but may not be enough for us to locate you in an emergency. Therefore, it is recommended that you post your address not only on your mailbox but also on your residence and driveway. Having your address posted in several places in very important. Mounting your address high enough to avoid weeds is important as well as not being blocked by bushes, flowers or branches.
Your address should be visible from the road coming from either direction as responders could be coming from either direction. Also, remember Script numbers or numbers that are spelled out in words may be aesthetically pleasing but are difficult to read quickly from the street. Brass or bronze numbers are difficult to see. Use numbers that contrast with the background. If you live in an apartment, duplex, or mobile home park your address should also be posted with the street address and the apartment or lot number. If the numbers on your house are not visible or easy to read, it will take emergency personnel longer to reach you.
Those extra minutes spent trying to locate a property can mean the difference between life and death, so take the time now to be sure your house numbers are able to be seen from the street to help emergency responders find you faster. If you would like to see an example of the correct way to post your address please visit our website at marengocountye911.org, click on services and then click on addressing.