Correct Addresses and Emergency Responses
Conducting an address search is not the most efficient way to provide emergency medical care. If an ambulance with EMTs can't find an address they can't complete the emergency response system that is put in play when 911 is called. Bad addressing impacts all emergency responders, including the police and firefighters. Everyone has the responsibility to make sure their address is correctly recorded in the 911 System and their homes are clearly and visibly marked.
I'm a volunteer for Ouray County EMS. You know, the people who come to your rescue when someone is hurt or sick. It's a great opportunity for me to give to the community, and to help people when they are in need.
But I can't help you if I can't find you. And that's a problem any first responder anywhere faces.
Good addressing is an issue that has come to my attention recently because of the challenges in finding people who are having a medical emergency and have called 911 for help. Inadequate and poor addressing can effectively make you invisible. As the county has grown, homes have popped up all over the place. Streets have been built to access those homes. The system was modified to handle this growth, but there are still many address inconsistencies. Having an address that's not accurate keeps responders from getting to you in a timely manner. On my street there are four houses: two have a country road address and two have a street address. That's trouble in the making.
Inconsistent addressing has created hazards for each and every one of us; residents and emergency responders alike. Emergency responders include the police, ambulance corps, first responders and firefighters. If we can't find you, we can't help you. Even a one minute delay can make the difference of life or death.
Examples of the kinds of problems I see include, an address that:
- doesn't have driveway access from the named street
- is an odd number on the even side of the road, or vice versa
- is out of sequence, like a 400 house number in a 500 group
- is on a street that's misspelled or misnamed
I see these problems all around the county. I know various departments are working on resolving the numerous issues as manpower is available. But you need to help.
If your address has been changed, be sure to tell your phone carrier that the physical address has changed. Your phone company provides your phone number, name and physical address to 911 system which gives it to Emergency Dispatch during a 911 call. Also, if dispatch asks you to verify your address, please verify it; they are only trying to help you so the emergency responders can get to you in the most timely manner. They are trained to verify information to help prevent future problems.
If someone from Road and Bridge or the 911 System Administrator calls to ask you to change your address to fit into the better addressing system, cooperate with them. They are making the change because your safety is at risk by not having the best addressing possible for you on the records.
Your address is a reflection of exactly where you are in the county. By having accurate information, we can get to you in a timelier manner. Oh, and be sure to have the address posted both at your road and on your house so we can be absolutely positive we are at the right house. Make the numbers big enough -- and with enough contrast -- that they can see them (at night, and in the rain!)
If there's any confusion over your address, do your part by getting your address corrected and updated in the 911 system. Yes, it's inconvenient to make the change of address for all the mail you get, and it's difficult for you to remember a new address. But would you rather have a little inconvenience today or suffer from a delayed response in the future because emergency responders couldn't find you quickly?
I'll take the inconvenience today, thank you. I hope you will too.
