The Associated Press
via Akron Beacon Journal
By GEORGE DAVIS
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)
An emergency call is received in the middle of the night. Medical help is needed immediately.
A dispatcher calls firefighter/paramedics and a race against time is on.
Those dispatched know the area like the backs of their hands, but too often they fear they could have trouble finding the exact home where their help is needed.
They hope the address can be readily spotted, but all too often it isn’t.
When every second counts, they don’t want to waste valuable time trying to guess exactly which driveway to turn into.
To alleviate this problem, the Green Firefighters Local 2964 is seeking the help of residents in properly marking their property so emergency services can be provided in the shortest time possible.
Like several other fire departments in the Summit-Stark County area, Green firefighters are offering bold, reflective address signs for residences so the location can be found immediately -- both day and night.
"(There are) a lot of houses that we can’t find,” said Green firefighter/paramedic Jaimy Garrett, who is chairing the address sign program with the assistance of fellow firefighter/paramedic Jason Marzilli.
“We know we’re in the right area, but we’re not always sure we have the right driveway,” Garrett said. “These signs will guide us to the right house the first time, making assistance that much quicker.”
Garrett, who also is a volunteer firefighter/paramedic with the Uniontown Fire Department when not on duty in Green, said the Green fire union opted to initiate the program after learning from Garrett and others how well the project has worked. Emergency forces in Uniontown and elsewhere, including the Perry Township Fire Department in Stark County, also urge use of the signs.
“At Uniontown, we’ve done these signs for four or five years and we still have people coming in to get them because they are invaluable,” Garrett said.
He and Marzilli and fellow union members are accepting orders for the 6-by-18-inch aluminum reflective signs. They display the resident’s house number either vertically or horizontally on the sign, depending on preference, for attachment to the mailbox post at the end of the driveway or some other structure easily seen by rescue crews.
The signs come with four holes already drilled for quick, easy mounting, Garrett said. The 4-inch numbers are adhered either along the right or left edge of each side of the sign. Cost is $15, cash or check, with checks made payable to Green Firefighters Local 2964.
Order forms are available at either Fire Station 1 at 4200 Massillon Road or Station 2 at 1900 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, including weekends. Once a sign is completed, the purchaser is notified by phone that it can be picked up.
The program is a fund-raiser. The union receives about $3 of each $15 raised to be used for charitable purposes within the community, Garrett said.