Eminence, Mo. – Santa knows where you live, but do the First Responders? It’s three in the morning and you are having chest pains. You call 911 and are told the ambulance and the Shannon County First Responders are on their way. Maybe it’s nothing, but maybe it’s a heart attack and seconds count. Can they find your house? First Responders report that they often have trouble finding addresses, wasting valuable time circling around, going back and forth down a road trying to figure out which house needs them. They need to find you in a hurry, you want them right now.
The best solution is to get a reflective 911 address sign and post it properly. House numbers on your house or mailbox are hard to read in the dark, requiring responders to stop and use a flashlight. The red or green reflective signs can be purchased for about twenty dollars, it is a great investment in your safety. They make a great gift for elderly relatives that really shows you care. And not just elderly folks, anyone can have a heart attack or slip and cut themselves while working. Everyone needs EMS sooner or later. When you need it, it will be too late to get one.
Once you get your shiny new sign, place it at the roadside, where your driveway begins. If you have a branching driveway, you may want to get more than one to guide the responders in, Make sure it can be seen from both directions. You know which way the mail comes, but a volunteer responder might be coming from any direction. Keep it clear of weeds and dust in the summer months and snow in the winter. In an emergency it is also good if you can have someone flag the responders down.
You can find them online, just search for “911 address sign” or you can get them locally from Three Rivers Sheltered Industries in Birch Tree at 573-292-3768. (They are closed on Fridays.) Signs cost around twenty dollars and can be made in a few days. If you get them from the sheltered workshop, they come with a post, but you have to pick them up. Mail order signs do not come with a post.
The mission of the Shannon County First Responders is to support local ambulance services by arriving first and providing immediate first aid and medical support as needed until the ambulance arrives. All first responders are unpaid volunteers, on call twenty four hours a day. All First Responders are trained to at least the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level, and some are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and nurses. The First Responders do not receive any funding from insurance, medical bills or fire dues; they are entirely funded by donations.
To learn more about the Shannon County First Responders, check out their Facebook page. If you have medical training and would like to join, please send a message through the page
