Staffordshire residents are being urged to ensure their house names and numbers are clearly identifiable to help the emergency services respond to incidents as quickly as possible.

According to Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, there have been a number of recent incidents where crews have struggled to immediately find properties when responding to incidents, due to property numbers or names not being clearly displayed.

Working in conjunction with Staffordshire Police and West Midlands Ambulance Service, a new safety postcard called 'Signs Save Lives' is being distributed to highlight the need for clear numbers or property names to identify properties across the county.

Head of Risk Reduction for Staffs FRS, Glynn Luznyj said: "It isn't necessarily obvious which the affected property is, as not all house fires for example are blazing infernos that can be seen for miles.

"We're asking Staffordshire's residents to take the time to check their homes clearly display the property name or number from the roadside, especially if there is a long driveway or a farm building which is not visible for miles.

"It isn't necessarily someone familiar with the area who could be calling in an emergency so if they can see the name of a farm clearly displayed to relay to us it helps us greatly in locating the incident as quickly as possible."

Other key tips for residents include:
• Do you have an outside light on your home you can turn on to illuminate the house number/name - this can be more helpful in winter months.
• If possible, can someone come out to flag down an emergency service vehicle.
• Knowing your postcode in full is helpful and you can always provide additional direction information/ land marks to control staff if the property is in a unusual location.
• If you live off a main track, approximately how far off do you live?
• Are there any distinctive features nearby? A phone box, church, post box or pub?

Posted 15/10/2012 by richard.hook@pavpub.com