By By JOHN DILMORE JR. Publisher
In an emergency situation, every second counts. Having as few of those seconds as possible consumed by efforts to locate the sick or injured is the goal of a new Project Impact initiative.
Project Impact of Brewton is encouraging people inside the city and throughout the county to place signs bearing their street numbers where they can be easily seen by emergency responders.
Though many people have small numbers on the fronts of their homes, these aren't always enough, especially when paramedics or police are looking for a particular address at night, or when it's raining.
The ideal situation would be a somewhat larger set of numbers, located closer to the road.
Project Impact members are still hammering out the details of the effort. But for now, they are asking people to consider their own situations, and take a hard look at what they can do to make their homes easier to find in the event they require emergency assistance.
The county's E911 Office offers reflective signs that can be mounted on posts. The cost for a sign is $15, and the cost for a sign and post is $20. The signs can be mounted on mailbox posts, but E911 Office administrator Janie Hamric said that may not always be the best place.
It depends on how close a person's mailbox is to their home, and whether it is clustered with other mailboxes.
Hamric said that the office doesn't sell as many of the signs as she would like.
And Weaver points out that every sign added throughout the city and county helps not only the person who places it, but also that person's neighbors and other who live farther down the road. That's because each sign acts as a guidepost, letting responders know where they are in relation to their destination.
For more information on signs, or to obtain one, call the county E911 Office at 251-867-0500.