First and foremost – You know how important it is to find the right location as quickly as possible. We have provided more than 5,000 fire departments with “Reflective Address Signs” over the last 20 years. Who knows how many lives have been saved or property damages limited because a 911 reflective address sign was posted and visible, especially at night. Even 1 life saved makes it all worthwhile. Thank you for all that you do for your communities.
Word of mouth is the key to the success of your program. The more markers that are distributed, the more people see them and want one for themselves. The hardest part of the program is getting started. We will help you in any way that we can to make your efforts successful. Here are some ideas that have worked for other organizations. If you have other ideas that work, let us know so we can pass them along to others.
Place a flyer at convenience stores, grocery stores, libraries, gas stations, village hall, senior centers, community centers, etc. Set up a table at your monthly breakfasts, fish fries, etc. to distribute flyers and to sell markers. Ask your local newspaper to do an article on the many benefits of the markers – uniform addressing, improved response times, etc. Newspapers are always looking for good community service articles and would be happy to help you.
Door to door. It’s a little time consuming, but also the most effective, especially at first. Distribute flyers through PTAs/PTOs, township newsletters, tax bills, etc. The more people that get a flyer, the more you’ll sell. Cub scouts, Boy scouts, Eagle scouts are a great avenue for reaching as many people as possible, and are always looking for public service projects.
Place an ad in your local newspaper; many times the paper will give you free space. Plug your program on your local radio station. Many fire chiefs have commented that their stations are always more than willing to help you get your message to the community. Many local cable companies have a channel dedicated to community service messages. A message on this type of channel has been highly successful for others.
Yard Signs. We can supply (upon request) you with (FREE) 18” x 24” yard signs printed with “Reflective Address Signs Available Here”.
Combine efforts with another group like 4-H, Cub Scouts, Boosters, etc. Most of our clients are more interested in getting the signs out than making a large amount of money. The more people that are involved, the quicker you’ll get the markers up.
Contact your local Postmaster. Several groups have told us that the postal service distributed a flyer to each person in their area. This may not work in each area. We’ve been told that each community has a postal committee that must be approached for this service. The committee must be persuaded that the signs are a great benefit to the postal service not just emergency responders.
We know that finding time to devote to this project is the biggest problem for most groups; however, proper addressing is very important to helping you do your real jobs – Saving Lives and Protecting Property.