Yellowknife (Feb 08/06) - Don't send the fire department on a wild goose chase if you call them with an emergency, says deputy fire chief Chucker Dewar.

"This has been an ongoing problem since the dawn of time for firefighters," he said of homes or businesses without proper or visible civic numbering.

Precious moments can be lost when house numbers are not visible to firefighters or emergency vehicles searching for a residence, Dewar said.

"We need to see the physical addresses on the building, or else we're not sure where we are at and taking guesses," Dewar said.

This is especially important because of the long hours of darkness here, he added.

The fire department has had calls as of late where such numbering has not been visible, Dewar said.

"Darkness and no address posted were a problem."

Also, homes in the construction phase often overlook the important numbering, Dewar noted.

Numbers should be large enough to be visible from the roadway and ideally under a porch light, so the number is illuminated, he said.

"If they are not there, it can cause a delay in response and ultimately, affect patient care," Dewar said. "It must be on the main entrance from a major roadway."

But Dewar is not just making a suggestion to those who overlook their civic numbering - it is required under a city bylaw.

"It's the municipal address bylaw. Residences and businesses are required to post their addresses on their buildings."

The size of numbers depends on how far the building is from the curb.

If such numbering is present, Dewar said making sure no snow is covering the area is important as well.

Outside city limits, Dewar said the fire department combined forces with MACA to place proper numbering on all legal residences along the Ingraham Trail.