SALT LAKE CITY — Getting first responders where they need to be as soon as possible can mean the difference between life and death and one Utahn is trying to make the search a little easier.
Firefighter Brody O'Connor knows how difficult can be to track down a house in an emergency.
"Yeah, Finding the address is the number one thing," he explained. "I mean other than them making the phone call, we've got to get there."
In an attempt to find a solution for when a GPS doesn't work, O'Connor, who described himself as a "DIY Guy" came up with a device he thinks will help.
"My mailbox got broken and I thought it'd be really cool to have my address numbers on the side lit up and then it kind of evolved from there," he said.
So, he weatherproofed the mailbox and added colored lights.
In the last few months, O'Connor got a patent for his invention and set up a website. He said he hopes to sell them but he is most interested in serving the community.
O'Connor learned about a mother and her son with medical issues who said they'd benefit from the upgraded house signage.
"Yes, he was born with congenital heart disease," explained Nicura Thompson. "So he was born with multiple severe heart and airway defects."
"Medically fragile Children are already behind the eight ball," O'Connor told FOX 13 News. "So if they have some kind of medical emergency it's even more important to get there quickly."
O'Connor coordinated with the family and donated an LED sign to them and hopes to do the same for other families in need in Utah.
"If somebody knows somebody that has a medically fragile child, please refer them. Shoot me an email. Depending on how many emails I get, I may have to just do a lottery because right now I'm just donating these out of my own pocket."
