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Next to the emergency number, post explicit directions to your house. Include route numbers and distance in miles and tenths. If there are other houses nearby, identify which one is yours by number (“the eighth house on the right past the intersection . . .”). Describe its distinctive features in general terms (brick or wood, two-story or ranch, a porch or garage). Remember, if it’s after dark, you probably won’t be the only one with the porch light on.
Don’t assume the members of your local fire and rescue company know where you live. Some members may, but there are also others who might not have been on previous calls to the same address — or who have just joined the department.
• Include landmarks along the way, especially near turns or if the residence is off the state road (“take a left onto Route - --just after the church,” or “turn right at the driveway across from the red mailbox with the name . . . ”)
• If the driveway is long, or has turns to other houses, include the turns, splits and distances in the directions. A lot of time can be lost by a piece of fire apparatus trying to turn around in a farm driveway that is only six or eight feet wide.
• If the directions are difficult, or the driveway is hard to see at night, consider asking someone to meet the first responding unit at the end of the drive. Tell the dispatcher if someone will be there. The first unit can drop a flare for others, and that person can guide them to the house.
• When calling the dispatch office, don’t panic. A timely response with the right equipment depends on the dispatcher getting complete information from the caller. The more accurate the nature of the call and the directions are, the more likely it is that help will arrive quickly. Take a deep breath and think about what you need to say before dialing the number.
• Post those numbers and directions now. Make sure that everyone in the house w ho can use the telephone knows where they are and is familiar with them. In an emergency, it is too late to wish you’d taken the time sooner.
New residents may not be familiar with the community they are living in. Neighbors who’ve been in the area a while may be able to help with locally familiar landmarks.
And, if there’s someone at the residence who is likely to need assistance (an elderly family member or baby with a chronic medical condition, for example), consider calling or stopping by the dispatch center and giving them directions and the nature of the condition now, before an emergency call is necessary. That way the dispatchers will have precise directions and medical information in the event they need to be used.
The key word in any emergency response is planning — planning before the fact. A few minutes spent today could save a loved one’s life tomorrow.
That’s time well spent.
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