House numbers vital to save lives
WEST Norfolk householders have been warned by local ambulance crews that failing to display clearly-visible house numbers could mean the difference between life and death this winter.
With daylight hours fading and the clocks going back this weekend, the crews stress it is even more important for householders and businesses to make their properties easily identifiable from the road.
And they say that despite previous awareness campaigns, many houses still have their names and numbers hidden by trees or overgrown hedges – or even worse have no signage at all.
Lyn Reynolds, East of England Ambulance Service's chief officer for Norfolk, said: "For a patient in cardiac arrest, every minute saved is absolutely vital to their chances of survival. For the sake of spending 5 on a sign or five minutes cleaning or clearing around your existing numbers, it's surely worth it.
"The problem is particularly bad in rural areas, where crucial seconds or minutes can be lost driving up and down long roads looking for non-existent or hidden numbers or names. It is very frustrating for crews trying to reach an emergency call."
Del Fergusson, clinical field operations manager for the Lynn area, has often had trouble finding properties in the more rural areas.
"There have been several occasions when I've driven around for a couple of minutes trying to find the right house. Thankfully, the situation hasn't been life-threatening, but if it had been, then we could have had a serious problem," he said.
"You see a lot of cottages with the names on the walls rather than the gates, and if it's dark it's almost impossible for us to see them. It would be really useful for people to put the name on the gate as well. Also people often forget to put a new number on when they get a new door."
Technology in ambulance control rooms now makes it easier for them to get correct addresses, and satellite navigation on ambulances helps crews to find their way there – but then they need to find the right house straight away.
An ambulance service spokesman said: "There are a number of ways the public can help us better identify their location in an emergency, such as leaving hazard lights on a car in the drive or on the road, giving details of landmarks or known buildings over the phone, or even obtaining their home's map grid reference."
Here's how you can help the emergency services:
Make sure your number is large enough to be seen from the road;
If possible, place your house name or number on a wall or gatepost next to the road as well as on the door;
Cut back foliage regularly so your number can be seen;
Ensure your number stands out – black on white or vice versa is best;
Encourage your local shopkeepers to put the street number on their shopfront.
For further advice visit the www.999whereareyou.org website.
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Weather for Kings Lynn
Monday 06 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
