Laguna Beach Fire Department Wants to Know Your Address

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — It's an important question for all residents of Laguna Beach. How difficult would it be for the fire department to find your house number in case of a medical emergency?

If you've painted your house recently or let your landscaping get a little out of hand, the Fire or Police Departments might have difficulty finding your home.

"If the fire department or police department needed to respond to your home today, would they be able to easily see your address from the street?" Laguna Beach Fire Department Chief Jeff LaTendresse asked in a recent release. "If not, now is the perfect time to resolve this situation."

The California Fire Code requires each home and business to have a visible address from the street with numbers that are at least four inches in height, LaTendresse said.

"Also, the numbers must be in contrasting colors to the color of your home," he said. "So if you forget to put those numbers back on your home after you had it painted last summer, or painted over those numbers, now is to time to make it right."

Putting the address below or near the front light also makes it easier for emergency personnel to see the address when it is dark.

If your home has a mailbox out front, make sure that your address is clearly visible, and not just in the direction that the mail carrier comes from.

"Emergency vehicles can respond from either direction and having a visible, reflective address makes a difference at night," he said. "Emergency responders strive to get to you as quickly as possible. Help us help you by having your address clearly visible so we can ensure we arrive at the correct location in a timely manner."

Courtesy photo, Laguna Beach Fire Department