As the dark nights of winter approach, Harpswell first responders are urging residents to mark their homes with big and bright address numbers to ensure that fire and rescue crews can quickly find them in emergencies.
The initiative has been instrumental in speeding response times to people who call for help. But in a town laced with remote roads and hidden drives, too many homes remain without numbers that are visible day and night.
“When every minute counts and you’re going down roads, going past places and actually getting out of emergency vehicles and walking around trying to find a house, it’s very hard on crews who should be focusing on the emergency at hand,” said Meriel Longley, a full-time firefighter with the town.
“Do you want your rescue crew to find you the fastest way possible?” said Bill Snellings, of the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department. “Get reflective signs.”
When Harpswell Neck Fire Chief David Mercier was growing up, there was no need to look for address numbers when trying to find someone’s home.
“There wasn’t any such thing as a house number,” Mercier recalled. “You knew where you were going because of whose house it was.”
But those days have long since passed. Today, in a town where thousands of people live not only in year-round residences but also in seasonal cottages tucked into wooded lanes, first responders need all the help they can get.
With increasingly sophisticated emergency dispatch systems and GPS devices, rescue crews can usually find their way to the road on which an emergency is unfolding. But unless people have clearly visible house numbers, precious minutes can go by as rescue crews search for the right place — especially at night and during stormy weather.
“I didn’t grow up here. If there’s no street sign and there aren’t numbers on the houses, then I’m in trouble,” said Jeff Christie, a volunteer emergency medical technician. “It really slows us down.”
Fellow EMT Paul Kittle, of the Orr’s and Bailey department, said the challenge is especially steep at night, when responders arrive at the end of a dirt lane to see a cluster of mailboxes but no other indication of who lives where.
“There are three or four houses here, but which one is No. 8?” Kittle said, giving a hypothetical example. “Is it at the top of the hill? Is it at the bottom of the hill?”
First responders say it’s not enough to buy small black mailbox numbers at the hardware store, or to adorn a house with decorative numerals that don’t show in the dark. Four-inch-high, plainly visible numbers are the best solution — displayed on homes and on mailboxes or posts at the ends of driveways.
To make it as easy as possible for residents, the town pays for green, reflective aluminum signs for any resident who requests them. The signs come in a variety of sizes and are pre-drilled for attachment to posts, mailboxes and walls. For people who need assistance posting them, volunteers from Harpswell Aging at Home stand ready to help.
“This is an extremely important subject,” said Harpswell Fire Administrator Mike Drake. “Over my career, I have spent precious minutes searching for houses on life-threatening (emergency medical services) calls because there was no number. One of these calls was for a child not breathing.”
In addition to prominently displaying house numbers, Kittle said, it also helps to station someone at the end of a road or driveway to point rescue crews in the right direction. “It’s really helpful if they can put someone out there, flagging us down,” he said.
In areas served by the Cundy’s Harbor Volunteer Fire Department and Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department, residents who would like to obtain free reflective signs should email Longley at mlongley@town.harpswell.me.us. Residents on the west side of town should leave a message with Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue: 207-833-6714.
For help installing signs, contact Harpswell Aging at home by calling 207-833-5771 ext. 108 or emailing hah@hah.community. Address sign placement is governed by a town ordinance, which can be found by typing “Enhanced 911” into the search field at harpswell.maine.gov.
