The Town of Tecumseh has joined a project to make it easier for rural properties to be identified in an emergency.
Farm 911, also known as The Emily Project, is an identification system that assigns street addresses to farm properties at various access points, particularly if the land is unoccupied or abandoned.
Mayor Gary McNamara said the Town signed on following a suggestion by a constituent.
"We are excited to be leading the charge on this in Windsor Essex. It is a great initiative to keep our residents safe, especially those in the agricultural sector," said McNamara. "The idea for this project was raised by one of our citizens, and the Emily Project has the full support of council."
The Emily Project is named after Emily Trudeau, a young girl from Hastings, Ontario, who died in a farm accident in 2014. First responders had difficulty finding where Emily was since there was no street address assigned to that property.
Property owners who apply for a Farm 911 sign in Tecumseh will receive a yellow sign to place at an access point to their property, so emergency personnel can easily see it at a time when every second may count.
Tecumseh is the first Windsor-Essex municipality to buy into the Farm 911 project, which is currently in 75 communities across Ontario.
Tecumseh residents who'd like to order a sign should visit the official Farm 911 website. The cost is a one-time fee of $40, plus HST.
