A Safety Tip on House Address Numbers

We learned the following safety tip about house numbers, which came from a neighborhood watch seminar, by way of one of our local listservs. (We have condensed this safety advice from a three different messages.)

For maximum clarity and speed of reading by ambulance, fire or rescue workers, make sure your house is marked in a spot that is clearly visible from the street, with large, high-contrast, and preferably illuminated numbers, at least six inches high.

If you currently have house numbers on a brass plaque or if you have brass numbers on pole painted in a non-contrasting shade of paint, your house may be hard for EMTs to spot easily. In a medical emergency, these seconds may count. While you may want to keep your decorative numbers, for safety's sake add another more visible set.

One thing that is not recommended is having numbers painted on the curb in front of your house. Rescue workers are trained to look at the house first; in the event that a car is parked at the curb, those painted numbers will be completely invisible. On the other hand, if there is a set of steps going up to your front door, consider painting the house numbers in bright, reflective paint on the riser of the step most visible from the street.