911 Address Signs: Help Firefighters Find Your Home at Night

Why a reflective number matters on rural roads

Picture a call at two in the morning, in the rain, on an unlit rural road. BVFD puts it plainly: a reflective address number is the difference between an engine finding you in seconds and driving past your driveway twice.

Around Lake Anna the problem is sharper. Driveways are often long, neighboring properties can look alike, and there are few streetlights. A crew in a large truck on a dark road is looking for one number among many mailboxes, posts and gates. A number that shows up in the headlights gives them something clear to look for, so they can slow down at the right driveway instead of searching for it.

That is why the department sees a reflective address number as a practical thing a household can do for its own safety, especially around the lake. It is a small step you take once, long before you ever need help.

Being easy to find is also part of planning for a fire. The escape plan guide has a short section on it called Make sure responders can find you.

What the BVFD sign looks like

The BVFD sign is reflective and blue and white. The order form describes it as a sign made so responders can find you at night.

It is numbered on both sides and readable in headlights from a distance. Because both sides carry the number, a crew can read it from either side.

When you order, you give the house number exactly as it should appear on the sign. Check the digits carefully before you send the request, because the sign will show what you write.

Mounting: vertical or horizontal

The sign can be mounted vertically or horizontally to suit your post or driveway. You choose the orientation on the order form, so look at where the sign will go before you fill it in.

If the sign will go on a mailbox, BVFD suggests a vertical sign with an L bracket. A mounting bracket is an optional extra, listed with the prices below.

What a 911 address sign costs

• $20 for a four-digit house number
• $25 for a five-digit house number
• $3 more for an optional mounting bracket
• $8 more to have the sign mailed to you, or collect it free from the station

Address signs are the one BVFD service that is not free. Address sign assistance is a public-safety service, and the charge covers the sign itself. The order form shows your total, and BVFD confirms the order and the total before the sign is made.

How to order and pay

Before you start, decide on the four things the order asks for:

• the house number, exactly as it should appear
• the orientation, vertical or horizontal
• the size
• delivery, mailed to you or collected from the station

Then place the request:

1. Open the request form on the community services page: Submit a Service Request.
2. Choose Address Sign Assistance as the service type.
3. Fill in your choices and check the total the form shows.
4. Send the request. BVFD confirms the order and the total before the sign is made.

Payment goes by mail to Bumpass Vol Fire Dept, PO Box 158, Bumpass, VA 23024.

A department representative will be in touch within two to three business days. If your request is urgent, call the station at 540-872-2400 rather than waiting.

Who can order a sign

Signs are for any property in BVFD's coverage area, which is northeastern Louisa County and the Lake Anna area. They are meant particularly for homes set back from the road or on a private drive.

When a house sits out of sight of the road, a clear number at the end of the drive tells the crew where to turn. You can see the trucks that respond on the BVFD Apparatus page.

If you are not sure whether your property is in BVFD's area, mention it in your request, or call the station before you order.

In an emergency, call 911

An address sign helps responders find you, but it never replaces a call. For emergencies, always call 911, and give your full address, the same number that is on your sign.

Online forms, including the sign request form, are not monitored for emergency response. For anything time-sensitive that is not an emergency, call the station at 540-872-2400.

Frequently asked questions

Request a sign or ask a question

To request a sign, choose Address Sign Assistance on the community services page. If you have a question first, the station's phone number and mailing address are on the Contact Us page.