Borough of Sayre, Pennsylvania

Background:

Bradford County: Learn about 911 readdressing (external site).

Sayre Borough ended its participation in the County's E-911 program in October 2006. At present, the issue will be revisited during 2010. The information about the E-911 program is presented below for your information.

Bradford County began a program to establish standards for naming roadways, converting rural addresses to city style addresses, requiring installation of street signs, assigning numbers to all dwellings, principal buildings, businesses and industries, and the United States Postal Service and the public in the timely and efficient provision of services to all citizens and businesses of Bradford County. This program will result in the creation of accurate maps of the which will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our emergency services.

The Bradford County Commissioners confirmed their support of this initiative through a resolution and assigned primary responsibility to oversee and coordinate this program among County agencies, townships, municipalities to the Office of Community Planning & Grants (BCOCP&G). The Borough Council also supported this effort by adopting Ordinance 812. The goal of both the County Commissioners and the Borough Council is to save lives and property of the citizens in Bradford County and the Borough of Sayre.

Streets Recommended for Renaming:

Of interest to the citizens of the Borough of Sayre is Phase 2, Road/Street Renaming. BCOCP&G developed recommendations involving:

1. streets that change names after crossing municipal borders;
2. streets that are duplicates or similar in sound to other streets in a zip code or emergency service zone; and
3. streets that are duplicates or similar in sound to those in an emergency service provider's response area.

The BCOCP&G completed their review and recommended renaming 11 streets in (see Table 1, below).

Council Authority and current status

Under the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Borough Code, 53 P.S. Section 46202 (#25), sole authority to name streets and address buildings resides with the Borough Council. The Council reviewed these recommendations, first at the Emergency Management Committee meeting on May 16, 2002, and at the May 20th Council Meeting.

The Borough Council did not act on these recommendations and continues to solicit additional information through public hearings and meeting with representatives of other Pennsylvania counties who upgraded to the enhanced 911 system. The Council must also determine if the inconvenience of renaming the streets is off-set by the much improved 911 service and the protection the Borough will receive from liability claims arising from incorrect or delayed dispatch of emergency services.

History of 911:

The National Fire Chiefs Association recommended a single nationwide telephone number for reporting fires in 1957. The Presidential Commission for Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice reinforced this recommendation in 1967 by including all emergency services into the concept, initiating the formal development of the program. The first 911 call occurred in Alabama in 1968. By the year 2000, 85% of the United States population was covered by a 911 system. Ninety-five percent (95%) of that coverage is through the enhanced 911 system.

The 911 system dramatically reduced the time between your identification of an emergency and the call to the 911 center and the arrival of emergency services at the scene of the emergency. Government studies documented the effectiveness of this system through criminals caught and prosecuted, and lives and property saved. However, problems remained. Often, callers were in a panic and too excited to provide accurate information or their location to the 911 dispatcher. This confusion often proved deadly due to delayed response by emergency services.

Benefits of Enhanced 911 System:

Work to resolve these problems led to the development of the enhanced 911 system. This system automatically displays the location of the caller to the 911 dispatcher and provides accurate directions to the emergency location. These features, along with trained dispatchers, dramatically improves emergency response time and reduces confusion. The keys to this system is accurate mapping, naming previously unnamed routes, assignment of house numbers to every addressable structure in the county, elimination of duplicate street names and similar sounding names, and posting of house addresses in visible locations .

An important but somewhat less visible benefit of the 911 system is the more efficient, more cost-effective use of scarce emergency service resources for the public benefit.

Addressing Guidelines

Recommendations guiding the County's renaming policy were drawn from the U. S. Postal Service addressing standards (USPS publications: "Addressing Conventions", July 1989, and "Postal Addressing Standards", 2000), and the National Emergency Number Association ("Addressing Systems: A Training Guide for 9-1-1", 1995). These guidelines require elimination of duplicate street names, similar sounding names, and naming existing unnamed routes, and proper numbering systems.

Renaming Procedures:

The following procedures apply if the Council confirms the County's recommendations. They are provided for your information.

1. The Council notifies affected property owners of intent to change the street name.
2. Property owners have the option of proposing a primary and two alternate names for Council's review within 30 days after notification. If residents fail to provide names, the Council has the option to determine these names.
3. Council forwards the nominations for each street to the BCOCP&G.
4. BCOCP&G reviews these recommendations and responds back to the Council within 30 days of acceptable names. If an acceptable name is found, the Council will amend its official street map, certify it, and provide a copy to the County.
5. If none of the recommended names are acceptable, the process shall repeat until a suitable name is found.