Why Post Your 911 Address?

Why Is It Important To Post Your E-911 Address?

Frequently asked questions

Why is it so important for me to have my E-911 address posted?

Locating you quickly in your time of EMERGENCY without delay is our goal.  When a Vance County E-911 Telecommunicator dispatches any emergency service unit whether it is Fire, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), Law Enforcement or First Responders to your residence in your time of need, having your address posted clearly and visibly allows them to find you much quicker. 

What is the best way to post my address on my home so that it may be seen by any responding emergency service unit?

Vance County Emergency Operations recommends that you post your address in a minimum of a 4inch reflective numbers.

Why should the numbers be reflective?

So that your address may be seen during the day and/or during the night, and will be reflected by headlights as well.  It is best not to assume that during your time of emergency that ‘power operated’ or ‘solar powered’ signage will be able to be seen if the power is out or the weather has not permitted your solar powered device to work effectively.

How is an Emergency Responding Unit going to see my reflective numbers on my home if I live way off of the road?

Vance County Emergency Operations recommends that if you live more than 120 feet off of the road that your address ALSO be posted at the top or the entrance of your driveway with a minimum of 4 inch reflective numbers.  Having your address posted in both places in very important.  Mounting your address high enough to avoid snow in the winter or weeds during the summer is important as well as not being blocked by bushes, flowers or branches.

Can I post my E-911 Address in my yard if I live closer than 120 feet from the road?

Most definitely so.  This is just another “clear” indicator of where a responding emergency unit should go if you are having an emergency of any kind. 

I have my address on my mailbox, isn’t that enough?

No it is not.  In your time of emergency the responding units will be trying to locate you near the address of your home and not where you receive your mail.  Having your E-911 assigned address on your mailbox for mail purposes is important but may not be enough fior us to locate you in an emergency. 

Should my E-911 Address be visible from both directions?

Yes.  Your E-911 Address should be visible from the road coming from either direction as responders could be coming from either direction and not just coming from town.

I am going to tell the E-911 Dispatcher exactly where I am when I call, so won’t that be enough?

No one should assume that during their time of emergency that they will be able to talk or even speak clearly for that matter. It is a known fact that during an emergency it is likely that your speech may be impaired for any sort of reason regarding your emergency.  So please DO NOT assume you will be able to convey your location in an emergency.

I have called 911 before and no one had a problem finding me, so shouldn’t they be able to find me again?

Again, no one should assume previous occurrences will affect future occurrences.  Yes Emergency Units will be dispatched properly and provided with “cross streets” and in some cases “directions” regarding your location but if you have your address clearly posted in such a way that responding units can see your E-911 Address, then emergency responders will find you quickly. Remember TIME IS CRITICAL in all situations where you may need help, so time lost trying to find you could mean the loss of life and or property!

During my last emergency I had someone who was there with me go outside my home to flag down the responding emergency units letting them know where I was, can’t I just get them to do that again if I have another emergency?

Certainly, and this is good practice even if you have your house numbers posted appropriately as it further guarantees that emergency responders will find you as quickly as possible but this does not take the place of posting your house numbers appropriately. 

I have my address on my front door or on my front porch but we never use the front door we always use the side or back door, should I post my address there also?

Yes definitely!  Especially if your driveway leads to that door. remember any visual form of address identification helps responders find you faster.

I live in an apartment/duplex or a Mobile Home Park, is my apartment/duplex number or my lot number a part of my E-911 Address and should I post that also?

Yes it is very important.  Your apartment number, duplex, suite number, building number or even lot number to the MHP shows how your E-911 Address is different from everyone else’s address.  No two homes should share the same numerical E-911 Address.

I moved my home to another location and I still have my address on my home, should I remove the old number?

Yes definitely! If you moved your home from one location to another location all of your E-911 Address changed including your house numbers and only the new one should be posted.  Even if your address has been changed OR corrected by our office and you have not physically moved your home, then the old number(s) and/or letters MUST be removed replacing with the “new” accurate E-911 Address.  Having the incorrect number(s) or letters posted WILL cause confusion and will delay help from finding you.

My home or establishment is not occupied during all months of the year, should I only post my address when it is occupied?

No. Your E-911 Address should be posted at ALL times and is the home owner’s responsibility to do so.  An emergency can occur even when no one is at home or at your establishment.

Can I have my address posted in too many places?

No absolutely not.