Gravenhurst Volunteer Fire Department

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Home Muskoka 9-1-1 Sign Your Property

Is Your Property Ready?

Can a large fire truck get down your private road or laneway? Sure the dump trucks and cement trucks got down there when your cottage or home was new, but have the trees grown in or the road edges worn away over time? We need a open area 15' wide(4.5 meters) by 12' tall (3.6 meters) down your road or driveway in order to get in. And the road or laneway must be able to support 17 tons. (15.42 metric tons) Oh, and big hills are a problem too. Remember....if we can't get there, we can't help.

How To Install Your Sign

Without a readable address sign on your property the emergency services may not find you.
  • If the ambulance could be coming from either direction, put up a two-sided sign. If you are on a dead-end, one-sided is fine.
  • Put the sign at the end of your driveway. Only if your house is within 40' and CLEARLY VISIBLE from the road IN THE DARK you can consider putting the sign on your house or garage.
  • Mount the sign about 4' above the level of the road.
  • Put it back about 3' from the SHOULDER of the road. Keep it away from snow ploughs and out from under branches. Keep it clear of snow.
  • If you live on a private road, put your sign individually at the end of your driveway. DO NOT group all the signs on your road together at the end of your road. This will DELAY the emergency vehicles from finding your house.
  • Do not hang it on a chain or a rope. A metal sign post is recommended, but a wooden post is fine.
  • If your property is water access only, mount the sign on or near your dock, clearly visible from the lake.
Sign Your Property

Here's an ugly truth. Muskoka 9-1-1 will not save anyone's life. It is an easily identifiable phone number for you to call to get help. But nothing will be gained if you do not help yourselves first. Emergency help will not arrive fast unless they can find you. If you are on the waterfront or in the rural area, your property has a new "civic" address. It is this address which gets emergency help to your door when you call 9-1-1. The Police, Fire or Ambulance find your house by looking for a civic address sign on your property.

Every property in Muskoka has a civic address. You can find it on your tax bill or give the Gravenhurst Town Office a call at 705-687-3412.

Your standard "blue and white" fluorescent address sign is what emergency responders are trained to look for when responding to an emergency. Remember that these signs are mandatory.

You can get your civic address sign at any of the following stores for $9.99 (one-sided) or $19.99 (two-sided).

Chamberlain Homecare, 1092 Chamberlain Dr., 687-4007

Gravenhurst Home Hardware, 1170 Muskoka Rd., 687-3479

Muskoka Signs, 120 Progress Dr., 687-6222
 

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