Can We Find You?

In a true emergency, time is always of the essence.  Precious minutes wasted looking for the proper location could mean the death of you or a loved one, or an increased loss of property due to fire or other situation.  To help minimize the risk to you, your loved ones, and your property, your house should be properly numbered.  If the guidelines below are followed, police, fire, and medical services will be able to get to your emergency faster, helping them keep you safe and minimizing any potential loss.

• Numbers should be at least 3 inches high, preferably 4 inches or more.
• Numbers should have a high contrast, using such color schemes as black numbers on a reflective white background.
• House numbers should be posted at the street, visible from both directions.  Responders may be coming from either direction and this will help them to arrive at your location faster.
• Mount your numbers on a stable surface that will not be blocked by snow banks, foliage, or newspaper boxes.  Appropriate mounting locations include both sides of a mailbox, post, or wall at the end of your driveway.
• Script numbers should be avoided if at all possible.  They are difficult to read, especially at night.
• Use numbers and not words to identify your house.  It is much easier to quickly look at and identify a number than it is to read a word.
• Put numbers on your house as well as at the end of the driveway, especially if you are close to the road or if you share a driveway with a neighbor. 
• Keep numbers visible at all times during the year.  Remove snow during the winter and trim back brush during the summer months.
• Encourage your neighbors to keep their houses properly numbered as well as your own.  This not only helps emergency responders find their house, but will help them to find yours as well.

	This is an excellent example of a mailbox number and the best choice for identifying your house for emergency service personal.  Note the high contrast and large numbers. The numbers should be on both sides of the mailbox.
	House numbering is an acceptable alternative, but is more difficult for emergency service personnel to identify at night. If numbering the house, use large high contrast numbers, such as in this example.
	This is an example of how a house should not be numbered.