SOUTHWICK – In an announcement on Friday, Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson stated that the town House Numbering program has officially launched.
The House Numbering program announced in May 2017 revolves around having 6 inch by 18 inch reflective signs placed on the mailboxes of senior citizens homes. The program, which is free of charge for the seniors, was the brainchild of Council on Aging Director Cindy Sullivan and Chief Anderson.
Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson and Council on Aging Director Cindy Sullivan are seen installing a new reflective sign on a resident’s mailbox. (Photo courtesy of Southwick Fire Department)
The reason behind having the reflective signs is that the fire department discovered that they commonly find numbers either missing on the mailboxes or clustered together. If there is an emergency that first responders need to attend to, it can make it difficult for them to know which residence is the correct one and can be the difference between life and death.
“This allows emergency workers the ability to find an address easily in an emergency,” said Anderson.
“Our goal is to number 100 homes of senior citizens free of charge,” said Anderson of the program’s initial intentions. “Funding for this project was made possible by a combination of senior and fire safety grants.”
According to Anderson, he and Sullivan are looking to open up the program to the entire public for a small fee next spring.
On Sept. 18, Anderson and Sullivan hosted a kickoff event for the program at the Council on Aging center to allow seniors to sign up for the program.
If any seniors are interested in signing up for the House Numbering program, contact the Southwick Fire Department at 413-569-6363 or email Anderson at [email protected].
