Reflective address signs can help save lives

In an emergency, first responders want to arrive on the scene as quickly as possible. In order to facilitate that, citizens can make their home or place of business as easy to locate as possible. One easy step to take is to purchase and install a street number sign. These signs are readily available at area fire departments.

“Hopefully, people will never have to use 911 for an emergency; however, if you do, you want us to find your residence in a timely fashion," Clinton Township Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Ervin said. "Address signs have saved countless lives when the unfortunate does happen — $15 is an inexpensive investment to ensure the help you need finds you at the right place.”

Ervin said this information is important to law enforcement in addition to fire services.

Wooster Township Fire Department Chief Dallas Terrell said the signs can help others locate addresses as well. They are useful for the delivery of everything from packages to pizza.

Already have decorative house numbers on the house? Those don’t serve the same purpose as a reflective green sign.

“The address signs and numbers are reflective to light,” Ervin said. “These provide a much better advantage (especially at night) than a dark wooden sign or numbers only placed on the house itself.”

Clinton Township Fire & Rescue covers Clinton Township, Shreve, and portions of Franklin Township in Wayne County and Ripley Township in Holmes County (through contractual agreements). The Shreve Firemen’s Association is the fundraising group that supplements the fire department, and it sells the signs.

Signs can be ordered by calling 330-567-3411, emailing servin@clintontownshipfire.com or stopping by the fire station at 205 E. McConkey St., Shreve. Anyone can purchase a sign from the association; however, most other fire departments also sell them. Signs are $15 for everyone. Installation can be done within the township for free.

Brian Rafferty, fire chief at Holmes Fire District No. 1, said District No. 1 Firefighters Inc. is the firefighters’ 501(c)(3) that provides the green address signs to residents in their area. The signs are free, and they accept donations that are used to purchase additional signs. For anyone outside their area, a $20 donation is requested. Installation assistance is provided if personnel are available.

"District No. 1 Firefighters Inc. is funded through fundraisers like raffles and our pancake breakfasts during the Antique Festival," Rafferty said. "Also, $5 from each member’s paycheck goes into the fund as well. No tax money is used for the purchase of these signs.”

Signs may be ordered from www.holmesfiredistrict1.org, by calling the station at 330-674-1926 or by stopping by the station from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 8478 state Route 39, Millersburg.

Wooster Township Fire & Rescue also offers the signs. They are available for a $15 donation or free to those in need. There is no residency requirement for purchase. For those in the area, installation assistance is provided if requested. The signs may be purchased on a walk-in basis and only take a few minutes to make. The station is located at 1917 Millersburg Road in Wooster. The best time to stop at the station is usually from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“The address signs should be posted near the roadway on the mailbox post and give responders a clear location of the residence,” Ervin said. “If it is a shared driveway or on the opposite side of the roadway, we can use reflective arrows to point the direction.”

Wooster Township Fire Department is always accepting applications for volunteers. It also currently has a capital campaign to raise funds for its new fire station. For more information call Terrell at 330-466-7453 (cell) or 330-264-9786 (station) or email DBTerrell24@yahoo.com.