MURFREESBORO – In order for citizens here to be a little safer they’re going to have to help emergency responders…by making sure their house number is displayed.

In an interview with the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald on Friday, Murfreesboro Safety Director and Police Chief Darrell Rowe urged citizens to get their house numbers up in preparation for the Enhanced 911 (E911) system that will soon be implemented in the town.

Recently, Embarq crews were out preparing the town’s phone lines for E911. The system is expected to be in place by February and will be supported by the E911 Fund.

E911 is a detailed caller identification system that allows dispatchers to see the physical address of where the call originated.

Rowe said this feature will help citizens by cutting down on emergency services’ response time.

“If they get cut off in a call, if the phone goes dead, if they get excited and forget to say the address, this will help the dispatcher to find the address,” he said.

The town has made an effort to notify both home and business owners if numbers are needed on their residences or offices.

Throughout November and December a tally of businesses and homes without an identifying street address was taken by the Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD). That survey resulted in a seven page report. MPD officers then hand delivered letters issued by the town to home and business owners.

Lastly, Rowe reminded citizens that if the house numbers are not displayed they are in violation of a city ordinance and could be subject to a citation and fine.

In a separate interview on Friday, Town Administrator Cathy Davison noted an ongoing Murfreesboro Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser that provides green reflective numbers for homes.

Davison said applications for the numbers are available at the Town Hall and cost $15.