SOUTHWICK – In conjunction with the Southwick Fire Department, the Southwick Council on Aging has created a brand new program for protecting seniors safety.
In an effort to make homes in town easier for emergency personnel to respond to 911 calls quicker, the House Numbering program has been formed.
Reflective signs have been made that will have the respective house number on it, which will go on the resident’s lawn and reflect their house number during the day and at night.
Southwick Council on Aging. (WNG File Photo)
Cynthia Sullivan, the town’s Council on Aging Director, who helped organize the program along with Fire Chief Russ Anderson, believes that the signs will bring a benefit to the seniors who receive them.
“I feel like by having these signs, they’ll (emergency responders) be able to find them more effectively,” said Sullivan.
According to Sullivan, the first 100 seniors to sign up for the program will get the reflective signs put in for free. Although the house numbering initiative is centered on helping seniors, it’s also available for any resident in town, at a small fee.
In order to sign up for the House Numbering Program, the Council on Aging is hosting a kick-off event at their headquarters on Monday Sept. 18 from Noon until 1 p.m. The Council on Aging center is located in the basement of the Southwick Town Hall. At the event, seniors are allowed to sign up and also receive more information about the program. During the event, there will also be an ice cream social hosted by Visiting Angels as well as live music.
The Westfield News last reported on the House Numbering Program on May 23 when the Select Board approved the idea. In the effort to fund the program, both Sullivan and Anderson are using grant money from their respective departments.
