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Fire Departments To Install Address Signs On ‘Hard To Find’ Properties
By: Taylor Mirfendereski
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The Nelsonville Division of Fire and the York Township Volunteer Fire Department will begin installing reflective address signs on "hard to find" houses on Monday.
John Cheeseman, safety officer at the Nelsonville Fire Department, said firefighters and volunteers from Nelsonville-York High School will start posting addresses and signs on more than 350 homes that are not marked to direct first responders to hidden addresses in the Nelsonville and York Township area.
"The goal is to make as many addresses as possible easy to find," said Cheeseman. "There are often two or three houses that share a driveway that is half a mile long, that you can't see from the road way."
The $4,200 address signs were purchased with a federal grant from FEMA to assist emergency responders in locating residences.
Cheeseman said that the new signs will be especially helpful to new first responders who are not familiar with the area and could even save lives.
"It's tremendous for us when we can drive down the street and see address and be able to pick out the residence or the property where we need to go in a timely fashion. Sometimes a few minutes can mean a big difference," he said.
The fire departments will determine which residents are considered "hard to find," and will then ask the homeowners for permission to install the signs on their property. If a landowner does not consent, Cheeseman said the departments will attempt to install the address on a public post near the home.
He said the project will be conducted as time permits during evenings and weekends. The fire departments expect install all addresses by May 25.
Cheeseman said he will apply for a second grant to purchase additional signs for the city.