If flames are visible, it is obvious to the crews where to go, but there are times when smoke isn't showing, she said. "Anything that makes a home more visible is welcomed in the fire service and medical community," she said.
Councilman Vincent J. Gardina, a Towson-Perry Hall Democrat and former police officer, said he recalled many times when the address numbers on the backs of homes would have been useful.
"It's dark. You're in an alley. And you have to call around to officers in the front and say, `How many houses from the corner?'" Gardina said. "It takes time. Minutes go by."
Not only would the numbers help firefighters and police respond to emergencies, they could also help if any of the responders was in distress, Gardina said.
The new law does not specify where the address numbers should be displayed. They can be nailed to the rear of the home or be painted on a back fence, so long as the address is visible, county officials said.
The legislation requires that address numbers or letters should be 3 inches high.
In Baltimore City - another jurisdiction with many houses on alleys - property owners are not required to display address numbers on the backs of homes or businesses, said city spokesman Sterling Clifford.
In Dundalk, where many homes back up to alleys, Bob Nozeika said he has been pushing for years for the county to adopt the measure.
"When we hear complaints about someone not keeping up their property, nine times out of 10, it's the rear of the house in question," said Nozeika, president of the Eastwood Residents and Business Association of Baltimore County.
The numbers displayed on the alley side of homes "will help me communicate more intelligently with code inspectors," he said.
In March, when the law takes effect, "We may still have some nasty weather," Nozeika said. "I would've thought they'd given more time, but I'm happy to see it passed."
Other councilmen and community leaders say the additional address numbers will also help utility crews and citizen patrol groups.
Karl Pfrommer, a spokesman for the Towson-area Citizens on Patrol group, said he had included in a neighborhood newsletter a request from police for residents to put their addresses on the backs of their homes, but that not many people had done so.
He and other community leaders hope that having the requirement spelled out in law, with county officials able to issue written warnings and levy $100 fines, will help with compliance.
