Editor's Corner

Jenny's Journal

by Jennifer Cone Chciuk

As many of our readers already know, this past week we had a delivery issue that affected about 350 of our subscribers. Due to a computer glitch, the newspapers for two of Livingston's postal routes, routes 38 and 39, were inadvertently delivered to two post offices in nearby towns, as well as to a postal sorting station in Newark, rather than to the Livingston post office.

I must say, the upside of such an error is that it's gratifying to hear how much our subscribers enjoy reading the Tribune. As soon as mail delivery began on Thursday, phone calls started flowing into our office, from subscribers who hadn't gotten their papers. We heard over and over again, "I need my paper!" and "I look forward to Thursdays all week long – I love reading the Tribune while I drink my coffee." We even heard, "I simply can't manage without my Tribune. What's the quickest way for me to get it?"

We invited readers with missing papers to come to our office and pick one up. Additionally, many Tribune staffers pitched in and delivered papers to subscribers who weren't heading in our direction. On Friday, our phones were still ringing off the hooks, and we continued to hop into our cars to deliver papers to those who didn't get them.

On Friday, as well, my eldest daughter, Caity, was at the office with me. As subscribers called in to report that they hadn't received their papers, we compiled a list of addresses, and headed out, mid-afternoon, to deliver about a dozen papers. I drove, and Caity directed me from house to house, checking off each address as we dropped off a copy of the Tribune.

During this impromptu tour of Livingston, Caity and I noticed something – something I already knew, but had long forgotten. Many homes in town either have very small street numbers mounted near the front door, or have numbers which are covered by trees or shrubs. Some houses don't appear to have street numbers at all!

Many years ago, back in the 1980s and 90s, I was a volunteer with the Livingston First Aid Squad. During my ten years of active duty, I encountered this problem again and again – imagine being an EMT in an ambulance, trying to locate a home where you know there's a medical emergency, and being unable to see the street numbers. As squad members, we were lucky because there were usually police officers already on the scene by the time we arrived, which made it easy to figure out what house we were going to, but sometimes we got there first, and had to struggle with determining where we were needed.

Livingston law requires that the numbers on houses be at least five inches tall, for exactly this reason – if the numbers can't be seen from the street, first responders can't get to you easily in an emergency. The law not only has a height requirement, but it also states that house numbers, which may be either mounted directly on the house, or located in the front yard, must be easily visible from the abutting street. Additionally, the law calls for numerals on houses – not a number spelled out in cursive writing, which can be very difficult to read from the street.

Precious seconds are wasted when police officers, first aid responders, or firefighters have to scrutinize a house, trying to locate the street number. Those seconds may make a huge difference in the outcome of a medical emergency, or the amount of damage to a home if there's a fire.

As Caity and I drove around town and searched for street numbers on houses, we saw firsthand how important it can be to have those numbers clearly visible. Sometimes, we had to resort to picking up a number on a neighboring home, then counting by twos to figure out which house we needed to get to. This method certainly isn't failproof – for instance, on Chestnut Street, house numbers increase by fours, rather than the usual twos.

The next time you get the chance, check out your house from the street. Can the street numbers be easily and clearly seen? If not, it might be worth the investment to replace the numbers with larger ones, or to trim back any bushes that may be obscuring the numbers. Contrasting colors are important, too: use black numbers on white siding or white numbers on dark bricks, for optimal visibility. Consider lighting the area where your street number is so that it's also easily seen at night.

After all, as important as it is that you get your Tribune each week, it's even more important that your house be clearly identifiable in case of an emergency.

Thank you to our readers for their patience this week. If you still haven't gotten the May 17 issue of the West Essex Tribune, please feel free to pick one up at our office, or give us a call at 973-992-1771, and we'll either drop one off to you or issue you a credit for the missed issue – your choice.

It's important to us that if you subscribe to the paper, you actually get the paper, even if that means that a Tribune employee needs to hop in a car and bring it directly to you!