Members of the Ruth Volunteer Fire Department have begun sellinghouse address signs in an effort to reduce a problem that plaguesLincoln County emergency personnel.

According to Jim Javor, a Ruth firefighter-first responder,residences throughout the county often are not adequately markedwith their addresses, which hampers the efforts of emergencymedical or firefighting personnel responding to a call.

In the hopes of reducing response time for all localdepartments, Ruth VFD is offering easy-to-see house address signsfor only the coast of the supplies.

“I’d love to see everyone in Lincoln County have one,” Javorsaid. “It’s something we’ve talked about for a long time. It’s justa means of speeding up response.”

The signs are 6-by-18 inches, and are painted green withreflective white numerals. The signs easily screw onto anypost.

“They’re the same material and the same quality as a highwaysign,” Javor said.

Javor said the signs are made in the Ruth fire station usingstencils from a kit.

“All we need is their address. We’ll make up the sign and get itto them.” Javor said.

Javor said poorly marked or absent street addresses at LincolnCounty homes make spotting a house difficult when in a hurry,especially at night.

Emergency personnel are sometimes forced to slow down to lookfor house numbers and sometimes even have to backtrack when a houseis missed. This can delay the delivery of medical attention orfirefighters’ response.

“Being a first responder, I’ve run across that problem too manytimes,” said Javor. “Anytime that you have to stop, turn around andgo back, it takes time away from the patient.”

Javor said the amount charged for the signs is just enough tocover costs. If any is left over, he said, it will go to the RuthVolunteer Fire Department for equipment.

“It’s not about the money. We’re more interested in eliminatinglong response times and getting help to the people that need thehelp quickly.”

For more information, contact Javor at 734-6414 or RuthVolunteer Fire Department Chief Theresa Lawrence at276-2159.