Make your house number visible

Unmarked houses without street numbers pose a danger to residents in the area because emergency vehicles and police are not able to determine what number an emergency call originated from, said Ward 89 councillor Ingrid Reinten.

She said, “In the case of an emergency, every second counts and a house with a visibly marked number can save the seconds which may end up in saving a life.”

Constantia Kloof North Resident’s Association chairman, John Baisley added, “It doesn’t help if you only know your number. Know how to get to your house because if the police or ambulance can’t find your address then you can direct them to your house.”

Ward 126 councillor Mike Tonkin explained that there is an easy solution that doesn’t cost much if your house is unmarked. “In most suburbs there’s a team that goes around and they paint the house numbers on the street curbs. These numbers are always clearly visible and these guys don’t charge an arm and a leg to do it. It takes half an hour then they are done with the job.”

Honeydew Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs supported the fact that unmarked houses are a lot harder for the police to locate. She said, “Officers tend to struggle more when the the house numbers are not visible because it makes it a lot more difficult for officers to locate the house where the emergency is. So please make sure that your house is marked even if you mark it yourself by painting your house number on your exterior wall.”