First-responders make push for public to adhere to town ordinance.

WESTERLY — Local fire chiefs and emergency services personnel are urging all property owners to adhere to a town ordinance regulating the numbering of structures and buildings to help cut down on confusion and response time during an emergency.

The ordinance is not new, but has been largely ignored in many cases, In an informal survey of the Dunn’s Corners, Misquamicut, Watch Hill, and Westerly Fire Districts, Watch Hill Fire District Chief Robert Peacock said about 50 percent of commercial and residential structures are not properly numbered and around 20 percent are not marked at all.

A town ordinance states a residence or structure within 50 feet of the street should have the appropriate number on the front of the building close to the main entrance or front door. When a building is more than 50 feet from the street, the assigned number should be posted on the mailbox or at the property line.

The ordinance continues to say the property number should be in numerals, at least 4 inches in size, and of a color that contrasts with the color of the surface it’s on.

“In an emergency situation, not having the house number clearly visible will delay an emergency response and could have seriously negative consequences,” Peacock said.

Chief Bethany Gingerella of the Westerly Ambulance Corps said at least one in three calls requires them to count house numbers to find the exact address they are looking for.

“If we can’t figure out the numbers, our response time increases by two minutes. We can get by with GPS and our general knowledge of the area, but we do not want to count houses,” Gingerella said. “We figured if we put in a public service announcement, ask people to put out numbers in the correct place, maybe citizens will see it as a safety concern and take initiative to do it. It’s worth a shot, even if only five or 10 people listen, it helps and could save a life.”

One example Gingerella offered is a home on Valley Drive that is set back a quarter mile off the road and doesn’t have any property number by the road. The owner, who has serious respiratory issues, has frequently made 911 calls for an ambulance, she said. “Now we’ve all been there and we know where we are going when we get a call, but if Charlestown Ambulance came to cover us for some reason, they might not know where the house is,” Gingerella said. Westerly Fire Chief John Mackay said the issue has been going on for a while, but it’s become more prevalent for remodeled or newly built homes.

When looking for a home or building at night or in adverse weather, it’s very difficult to see numbers and even more of an issue if there is no posted number, Mackay said.

“Issues from this don’t happen as frequently for the fire department as it does for EMS,” he added. “If a house is on fire, we can usually find the smoke. But in a medical emergency, if there’s no number or it’s not visible, there’s no way for them to know which house to go to.”

Assistant Chief of Westerly Dispatch Mike Brancato said in the past 15 years or so, the center has worked closely with the town and state to make sure the street names and numbers are in proper order so their computer- aided dispatch system doesn’t get confused when the numbering is incorrect or there are duplicate street names. The street names and numbering issues go hand-inhand, he said. Westerly Dispatch is the only regional dispatch center in the state and provides EMS and fire communications for Ashaway, Carolina, Dunn’s Corners, Hope Valley, Misquamicut, Pawcatuck, Westerly and Watch Hill.

Brancato remembers a fatal fire more than 10 years ago when there were conflicting reports about whether the fire was on Main Street in Bradford or White Rock because the road name was duplicated.

“We’ve certainly come a long way in the last 10 to 15 years and it’s still a work in progress to make sure the building numbers and street addresses match up and aren’t duplicated at all,” Brancato said. “We have an ordinance that basically outlines how and where house numbers should be placed but most people either don’t know about it, don’t think it’s important, or think they’re adhering to it when really the wrong number is on their house or it’s placed incorrectly. We need the cooperation of every homeowner to completely fix this problem.”

Brancato said when a developer is looking to name a new street, the dispatch center will often say no if the name is similar-sounding or rhymes with another street name in town. “In the heat of the moment, streets that sound the same can be easily mixed up, which could be the difference between life and death,” he said.

Interim Town Manager Amy Grzybowski said the issue came up during the monthly meeting the fire chiefs hold. She was invited to listen as they discussed some of the big challenges they see in the community.

“Not having your house numbered properly is a public-safety issue, so they thought a public-information push might encourage people to pay attention and start numbering their homes and mailboxes correctly,” Grzybowski said. “Within the ordinance, there is a violation which would allow the town to fine individuals if they don’t adhere to it, but we are hoping that people will take the initiative before we have to do that,” she said. “If we find there is no change, we might have to start taking enforcement action.” According to the ordinance, the town’s code-enforcement officials can investigate a possible violation and issue a fine not less than $50 and not more than $100.

Each district has begun and educational campaign to remind property owners of the ordinance. The issue will be discussed at each of the district’s annual meetings and reminders will be posted on department websites and social media and sent out with annual fire-district mailings.

“Simply put, local emergency ambulance, fire and police responders are asking local residents and business owners to ‘help us help you,’” Peacock said.

Ultimately, they want to address this issue so they can provide better and quicker service to the community, Dunn’s Corner Fire Chief Michael Frink said. “Time is precious and of the essence when someone is in need,” he said. “We’re trying to address this issue in the best way we can to provide the highest-quality emergency service to our town.”