Emergency Planning Office Continues to Verify '9-1-1' Addresses

Jul 13, 2017

AKWESASNE — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Emergency Planning Office is reminding Akwesasne residents that they are still verifying “9-1-1” addresses on the southern portion of the community.They are continuing to ask for the assistance of home and business owners in clearly placing their addresses near the roadway, as well as on their house or building.

“Last fall, Emergency Planning Staff traveled throughout the community verifying addresses for Akwesasne homes and businesses,” said Tribal Sub-Chief Cheryl Jacobs. “At that time, they noticed a large number of people having their address properly displayed on the mailbox and house. This was good to see, as it saves precious minutes for first responders when they need to respond quickly to an emergency call.”

When Emergency Planning staff were in the field however, they encountered obstacles that will make it difficult or impossible for an ambulance, police or fire department to locate an individual in distress. They found some locations that had several mailboxes by the roadway with an address however, no address on the individual properties. They also encountered situations where there was no address on either, or a numbered mailbox with no building.

“We still have a way to go to ensure that all community members are prepared for an emergency,” said Emergency Planning Manager Diabo. “Every life matters to us, so we want to make sure people know the importance of having their ‘9-1-1’ address clearly visible in several locations. Emergency units will attempt to locate individuals by their physical address, so having your address by the road and on the house will help save your life.”

Community addresses are derived from Franklin County Emergency Services; which requires the coordination of critical services and information with tribal, county, and other emergency agencies. As a result, the Emergency Planning Office is verifying physical addresses to ensure the “9-1-1” database reflects the correct information. Individuals can obtain a “9-1-1” addresses for new homes and businesses by calling County Enumerator John Bashaw at (518) 483-2580.

The community’s safety is extremely important to the Tribe’s Emergency Planning Office and they are striving to create a ‘disaster-resilient’ Akwesasne through prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. To help them in this effort, they are providing home and business owners with the following tips to help emergency responders find you faster:

Make sure the 9-1-1 address is displayed beside the roadway in front of the residence, either on the mailbox or on a 9-1-1 marker.
Be sure to mark both sides of your mailbox or 9-1-1 marker in such a way that it may be easily seen, no matter which direction responders are approaching.
Numbers should be at least four inch reflective numbers and numbers should be a contrasting color to the back ground.
If your residence is located inside a trailer park or lane shared by multiple residences, make sure your 9-1-1 address is visible on the residence.
Make sure the 9-1-1 address on the mailbox and residence match and apartment numbering is consistent (ABC or 123, not both).
Check to see if buildings, apartments, trailers, and lots are all clearly numbered and can be seen in both the dark and bad weather situations.

For more information on how to be better prepared for an emergency, please contact the Emergency Planning Office at (518) 358-2272.

PHOTO CAPTION: Beginning in October 2016, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Emergency Planning Manager Sarah Diabo (left) and Training Development Coordinator Katrina Jacobs began verifying emergency 9-1-1 addresses in the Akwesasne community. They are continuing to urge home and business owners to properly display their addresses near the roadway and on the building to help emergency personnel quickly respond to emergencies.

##### The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk People.