More and more, the Winkler Fire Department has been experiencing buildings with missing numbers.

Whether it's fire crews, EMS, or police responding, Fire Chief Richard Paetzold says this can make it difficult for them to find a location quickly when responding to an emergency.

Not only is it a matter of safety, Paetzold notes home and business owners are also expected to have legible numbering, according to a City of Winkler fire and emergency services by-law.

"We haven't been going around knocking on people's doors but I know that in the near future we want to do a campaign on that. It will probably just be issuing friendly notices that if we don't see one on your place, that you should probably put one up."

Paetzold says usually people don't realize that it would be helpful until they face an emergency themselves. "That's not only with house numbering, but it's also with a lot of different things, then they realize why it's (a rule or by-law) in place."

Paetzold says they encourage everyone to have legible numbering from the street, which makes it easier for them to get to you when you need them.