Help Emergency Services find Your Address

When time is a factor, getting lost can be the difference between life and death.  Emergency services race against the clock to answer calls, so having your address properly marked is critical, says Rabun County Assistant Fire Chief Justin Upchurch.  “The most important thing is to make sure that the responders can get to your house quickly and not get lost on the way to try to find you.”  You are responsible for clearly posting your address, adds Chief Upchurch.  “Property owners are responsible for having their address marker posted.  So, it is up to you to post it and to have it fall within the regulations of the ordinances.  According to Rabun County Ordinance, you have 14 days to post your address marker after receiving notification from the Mapping Department.”  Chief Upchurch tells you where to post your address so it can be clearly seen by emergency crews.  “It should always be posted at the beginning of your driveway.  Do not post your address marker at the beginning of your road where the road sign name is, this is of no benefit to us and it is actually a little confusing.  I’ll just use an example, you live at 36 XY Road and then the next road past you that intersects this road is Z Road and your neighbor lives at 36 Z Road but they have put their number down at the bottom of the road sign.  So, there is a chance that you’re gonna have 36, which is your address and then a half mile from you, you may have another 36.  So, that can be very confusing, especially if responders are coming from the opposite direction, they are going to go to what shows as 36.  So, never put it down at the road where your road sign is, always put it at your driveway.”  How addresses are posted is also important, continues Chief Upchurch.  “The marks should be posted using numbers at least 4 inches tall.  Either the numbers or the background should be reflective or both.  The colors of the numbers and the background should contrast.  The marker should be high enough off the ground so that grass or other vegetation doesn’t cover the numbers and should be clearly visible to approaching vehicles at night.”  Chief Upchurch says you can post your address marker with your mailbox in some cases.  “The marker may be attached to the same post as your mailbox as long as it is at the beginning of your driveway.  If for some reason, the Postal Service requires that your mailbox be posted on the opposite side of the road or at the end of the road away from your driveway, then you actually have to post your 911 numbers at your driveway also, so that you know where the actual house is.”  For shared driveways, Chief Upchurch encourages you to do this.  “Your address marker should be posted at the beginning of your shared driveway as well as where the driveway splits.  So, it may be an arrow or something notating which way to make it easier.  Just think about you’ve never been to your residence and you are trying to find it, is how you’ve got your number posted going to be confusing, or is it going to lead you directly to your house.”  Properly and clearly posting your address marker is a safety issue as time is always a factor in an emergency.