Editorial

                When fire strikes, seconds count. Anything you can do to help those who would help you must be done before a potential disaster knocks on your door.

                Many of the areas in our local communities are still rural and the first step to help ensure that your home can be found is out in the street.  Stand out in the street and look at your home, then ask yourself “Can emergency responders find my address? Are my house numbers clearly visible from the street and can they be seen in either direction?”

                Earlier this year Upper Hanover Township enacted an ordinance that requires every owner, builder and occupant of every residence, building or other structure within the township to install and maintain a street address number upon it in a conspicuous place, as near to the front entrance as possible and practicable and shall be clearly visible from the street, day or night. 

                The ordinance also states that for residences, buildings and other structures that are not clearly visible from a public street, street address numbers shall also be posted at the intersection of the driveway with the public street, so as to be clearly visible from that street.  Such street address numbers shall be placed upon a post or other structure that displays the address number in such a manner that the bottom of the street address is 48 inches from grade.

                It seems like a simple, common sense thing to do, and municipal legislation should not be necessary, yet, a drive throughout our local communities shows that it is needed as a guideline for many.

                But making sure that your address can be found isn’t the only common sense way to help yourself.  If your residence or business isn’t next to the road, take a look at your driveway.  Those trees that sit at the edge of your driveway, on both sides of that path to your home are beautiful, but will they keep a fire truck from turning in?

                Fire apparatus needs to make wide turns.  If the road to your home or business is narrow, you need to insure that emergency vehicles have enough room to turn into your driveway.  That includes the width.  If your driveway is less than 10-feet wide where it intersects with the road, the trucks will not make it.  Worse yet, if there’s a ditch on either side of you driveway, they’ll drop into it.

                Road signs and mailboxes also make for unnecessary obstacles for emergency vehicles when they’re placed too close to a driveway entrance.  Moving them just a few feet in either direction can make a world of difference.

                Dissenters might say “let them park on the road and drag a hose up the driveway.”  If your driveway is more than 100-feet long, it just isn’t practical.  As mentioned earlier, seconds count.

                With the onset of the cold weather comes an increase in fire emergencies.  Take a moment and make sure that if you need help, emergency responders can find your home or business and get to it in a timely manner.

As you pause on this Thanksgiving Day 2009, truly take the time to reflect on what you have to be thankful for.  It may be opportunity, friends, family, or life itself.  In these tough economic times we tend to dwell on what we don’t have instead of being thankful for what we have.

One of the things we need to appreciate is any ability we have to make things a bit more bearable for those less fortunate.  But that ability to give is stretched during these times of 10-plus percent unemployment.

While we are all looking for ways to cut back on spending, charitable giving will be hit.  In our current times, more people will need the types of assistance that many charitable organizations provide.

According to an article in the New York Times, demand for food has risen in the United States more than 20 percent in areas with the healthiest economies and more than 40 percent in areas with the weakest.

We thought charitable giving was bad in 2008, but, to date, fundraising is down this year compared to the same period last year.  Donations to charities last year suffered a drop for the first time since 1987 and could be in line for another decline this year.

Most charities receive one-third to one-half of their annual contributions during the months of November and December.  Going into next year with a pot half full means less people can be helped.

People who don’t have cash to donate can still help.  You can donate food, coats, cars, hair or blood.  There are many charities in need of all of those things and the list of ways you can help goes on and on.  You can have a garage or yard sale to sell your unwanted items and donate that money.  You can even volunteer yourself to help out.

If you can, remember the charity of your choice and give what you can to help them help others.  Then, remember to be thankful that you can still make a difference.