Boyd County EMS encourages people to add house numbers

BOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) - The consequences of the opioid crisis are countless.

But a rise in the volume of emergency calls is shining a light on an issue most people wouldn’t think about: how their house number is displayed.

“We can’t help someone if we can’t find them. We use multiple ways to find them, but it’s not foolproof,” said Chuck Cremeans, the Boyd County EMS director.

The easiest way is if people properly display their house numbers, so it’s easy for crews to spot.

“People in the city limits of Ashland and Cattlettsburg, the houses are close together. It’s easier to pinpoint the houses. When you get into the county, you have big fields, and it’s hard to pinpoint them. If we can’t detect the house, sometimes those homes may be hidden from trees or other structures,” Cremeans said.

Cremeans said it’s always been an issue, but his call to action comes for residents to take the step to protect themselves when every second counts. It comes as the number of emergency calls in Boyd County is on the rise.

“It’s gone up greatly. A lot of it has to do with our opioid problem that’s been ongoing for years. Now we’re in our second year of COVID, and just general medical calls in our area. Nobody thinks about it until they need us, but when they do, it’s important,” Cremeans said.

Cremeans expects his agency to surpass 10,000 emergency calls by the end of 2021. In 2019, crews responded to 9,000 calls.

He recommends people order house numbers off Amazon or buy them at a hardware store.

“They do need to comply with the size. If people buy them very small, a half-inch or inch, it’s hard for us to spot. In the county, most of the people don’t have street lights so make sure they’re reflective, too,” Cremeans said.