Campaign urges residents to make addresses easier to find

A new campaign in Upper Austria is urging residents to make their homes easier for emergency services to locate, ORF reported. Remote farms, poorly visible house numbers and unclear access routes can cost firefighters and rescue crews valuable time.

The campaign, called “#DieRichtigeAdresse”, also addresses apartment buildings, where crews may have to search for the right home if bells and apartment doors show only apartment numbers or lack residents’ names.

Emergency organisations and ORF are asking people to check their homes from the perspective of emergency crews. House numbers should be clearly visible from the road and, where possible, identifiable in the dark. In apartment buildings, clearly labelled bells showing first and last names, the floor and the apartment number can help. Residents’ surnames should also be displayed on the apartment door.

Precise information during an emergency call can further improve navigation. In rural areas, callers can mention distinctive access routes, turn-offs or features around the building in addition to the address.

Even when firefighters and rescue crews respond quickly, time can be lost if they reach the correct location but then have to search for the affected building or apartment.