ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Regardless of what may happen if - or when - local community U.S. Postal Office locations are closed, any related mailing address changes will not affect the response of fire departments, emergency medical services or law enforcement agencies to any physical address in case of an emergency.
Belmont County Commissioner Ginny Favede said Wednesday that safety concern was one of the outstanding issues raised during last week's town hall meeting at Union Local Middle School to address the potential closure of many of the smaller local community post offices.
Favede said the concern focused on the possibility that if a resident's zip code on their mailing address changed, it may cause confusion if and when those residents call 911. According to Favede, there are many streets named Main Street and some other common names in different communities, and if towns that lose their post office have to rely on the St. Clairsville Post Office and carry its 43950 Zip Code on their new mailing addresses, emergency crews may respond to the wrong address.
On Wednesday, Favede said this issue was subsequently addressed by Belmont County 911 Director Robyn Marshall, who made it clear that residents should have no concerns about emergency response issues, despite what happens with their mailing address.
"Calls come up on their screen at the 911 Center, and the sheriff, fire or ambulance are dispatched to come to that residence," said Favede.
No representatives from the U.S. Postal Service were available at last week's town hall meeting to answer questions residents had, and many of these concerns have remained unanswered, officials indicated. Favede encouraged any local resident who has concerns about the future of their local post office to contact their local legislators.
Favede provided a list of contact numbers and addresses for state officials, including:
Ayres can be reached at eayres@timesleaderonline.com.
