Tips for Assisting First Responders to Quickly Reach your Home in a Fire, Medcal or Other Emergency

In the event of a fire or medical emergency seconds count. Please be sure that emergency response personnel are able to locate your home by having your street address number clearly visible from the road.

If the numbers on the building are blocked by trees or brush, be sure that there is a street number on a mail box or sign at the end of the driveway. If your mail box is on the other side of the street, an address sign should be ...on a tree or post by the driveway. Please turn on a light at night.

Please also be sure in the winter that the driveway is plowed and sanded so a fire truck or ambulance can reach the house. (plowing should be wide enough to acomodate a truck or ambulance. In a long driveway, the ambulance will need adequate space to turn around at the end of the driveway. For your safety as well as the first responders, please be sure that the steps and walks are shoveled and sanded.

If possible a person should be waiting at the door to provide access and direct responders to the person who may need assistance.

Pets should be secured so they will not be in the way of the responders.

If you have a central station fire alarm system, be sure that you have obtained an alarm permit from Newbury Fire Rescue. Your permit should list a local key holder who can access the home if you are not available. If there is not a local key holder a Knox Box should be installed to provide fire department access to the building in the event of an alarm. Please note that seasonal homeowners with central station alarm systems should make arrangements with snowplow contractors to maintain the driveway so that the fire department can access the building in the event of an alarm.