Mescalero residents: Good and bad address signage

by Mescalero Apache Tribe | August 26, 2020 9:31 am

Did your 9-1-1 first responder drive past your location, maybe twice, looking for the correct address? The smartest thing you can do is have 9-1-1 address signage that works well both day and night. Review the good signage/bad signage guidelines below. Set a good example for your neighborhood!

Because help often arrives from the opposite direction of the USPS, only 50% of your street addresses are visible to a 9-1-1 responder.

Don’t keep them guessing! Proudly identify your street address on BOTH sides of your mailbox using a minimum of 3-inch high white reflective numbers on a dark background.

Ask yourself, can a 9-1-1 responder see my address at 11:00 PM arriving from the opposite direction of the mail service in the rain at a distance of 100 feet  traveling at 30 MPH? At that speed the address will only be visible for 2.3 seconds.

A first responders priority is to respond to your location SAFELY! Our country legislates signage for roadway signs and vehicle signs (license plates) to assure good visibility day  and night, but not property address signage. The USPS [1]only requires one inch high letters in a contrasting  color on the carrier’s arrival side of the mailbox. Woefully inadequate signage can be a serious distraction to first responders, affecting both response time and safety. The difference between knowing an address and finding an address could affect your well-being.

When seconds count, help by clearly identifying your street address on BOTH sides of your mailbox using a minimum of 3-inch high white reflective numbers on a dark background.

If you live in an area that uses community mailboxes rather than individual mailboxes or you use a PO Box, it is important to display your address on your house using a minimum of 4-inch high numbers that are well lit and have a high contrast to the background, both day & night. As an alternate, place a 3 foot high post with the address sign located near the roadside, visible from both directions.

Information courtesy Mescalero BIA/OJS Chief of Police, James Vepley and http://911ready.org/[2].

For more information please visit: http://911ready.org/addressing_that_works.htm[3]

Source URL: https://mescaleroapachetribe.com/12906/mescalero-residents-good-and-bad-address-signage/

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