SUNBURY, Pa. — The Americus Hose Company is the primary ambulance service for the city of Sunbury. EMS Manager Bob Hare says while it doesn't happen often, sometimes first responders are sent to locations that do not have clear addresses.
"It can be difficult to find the correct address to get to someone who may need lifesaving measures immediately," Hare said.
Sunbury has multiple unnamed alleyways, which can cause problems for first responders.
"For ambulance calls, police calls, fire calls, we want to make sure they have accurate information, accurate locations that get responses to those locations right away," said Sunbury Mayor Josh Brosious.
Mayor Brosious says city officials are doing an inventory of those unnamed alleyways, trying to figure out where and how many there are. Once they figure that out, Sunbury residents will be invited to help name those alleyways.
"To honor citizens, famous individuals here in Sunbury to leave their mark, but also at the same time help our first responders respond to calls at the same time," Mayor Brosious said.
Mayor Brosious says the program started in 2018 when residents named nearly a dozen alleyways, including Americus Alley and Lucas Lane.
Hare thinks it's a good idea to keep the program going.
"Oh, I think it will be tremendous. It will be a lot of help for us. Our staff will be able to respond quicker. We'll be able to find the addresses easier," Hare said.
Mayor Brosious says when the alleys are identified, people can make suggestions, and the city council will vote. He expects this to happen in the near future.