PRESS RELEASE

The Garrett County Emergency Services Board, in conjunction with public safety officials, and on behalf of the Garrett County Commissioners, reminds homeowners to prominently display their 9-1-1 street address to be visible from the road or street on which they reside.

Emergency Services Director Brad Frantz stated “Placing your street address where it can be seen by emergency crews can help avoid delays in response time and assure assistance arrives as quickly as possible.  Address numbers should be reflective, be at least two inches tall and be placed where they can be seen from the roadway, either on a mailbox, address post or on the actual residence.”

Many residents are unaware of how the street addressing system works in Garrett County, added Frantz. “Our system is somewhat unique to the State of Maryland, in that it is based on a distance calculation. Every 100 increments in your 9-1-1 street address represents a tenth of a mile, every 1000 equals a mile. Therefore, if your address is 1000 Garrett Highway, you are exactly one mile from the starting point of Rt. 219 at the West Va. State line.” The exception to this is in incorporated towns, which still utilize a block address system.

Ed McLellan, Chairman of the Emergency Services Board, noted “It is extremely important for these numbers to be utilized, particularly in rental properties, where the tenants may not be at all familiar with their surroundings.”

For further information on guidelines for displaying your 9-1-1 address, please contact Mr. Frantz at 301-334-7619 or contact your local fire department.