County and emergency officials have invested in a new E911 system, designed to provide faster, more effective services. As a part of that system, addresses were standardized throughout the county.

That means road names were changed; houses were numbered; and new addresses were issued for hundreds, if not thousands, of

Pike County residents.

And leaders have asked the residents to mark their property and to begin using the new addresses.

So where's the decision?

It lies in the willingness of Pike County residents to accept and use the new addresses.

For most of us, our addresses did not change. For some, though, in more rural areas of the county, addresses changed significantly.

And some folks just haven't embraced the need to accept the newly numbered county roads and to post the new addresses on mailboxes or property lines.

But they need to do so.

The mapping system and E911 dispatch system will rely heavily on these new addresses. Law enforcement, ambulance and fire personnel will be dispatched according to the address system. And in many cases, they'll need accurate information to respond quickly to emergencies.

According to the Troy postmaster, nearly 50 percent of the residents who were assigned new addresses still are not using those addresses.

And that's a shame.

It's a simple decision, a simple investment of time and energy to change a house number or a mailbox number. And, when it comes to an emergency in your house, those minutes can make a difference.