DANVILLE - Seconds count in an emergency.

That's why Danville's neighborhood associations are spreading information about flashing porch lights that can be activated by the flip of a switch, making it easier for police, fire and medical personnel to find a residence, day or night.

City ordinance requires buildings, including houses, to have at least 3-inch-tall address numbers placed at the side of front entrances or above. But Public Safety Director Larry Thomason said not all buildings are numbered. Some property owners, he said, aren't aware of the ordinance, or numbers fall off a building or aren't replaced after renovations. Seeing numbers at night can be difficult, too, according to Thomason. He added that address numbers painted on the curb can be blocked by vehicles or snow.

For those reasons, a flashing porch light could make it much easier for emergency personnel to know where to respond.

Thomason introduced the beacon light during a neighborhood association workshop in February.

Neighborhood associations are taking the lead in promoting the idea, calling the project "Operation Security Beacon." Neighborhood associations are being given information on the project and have been taking pre-paid orders through May 10.

The product has been endorsed by the Danville police and fire departments and consists of one 2,000-hour bulb with a microchip that replaces the normal porch light bulb with no re-wiring necessary. The bulb acts as a normal light when the light switch is turned on and off, but flip the switch three times consecutively and the bulb begins to flash and is visible for up to 1.5 miles.

Ken Cox, neighborhood association volunteer coordinator, said the Meadowlawn Association, of which he's a member, was planning a project to paint house numbers on the curbs in front of residences, but the city street sweeper wears them away and vehicles block them. The beacon lights were the perfect solution, he said, and great for people who live alone, especially elderly.

Cox has been taking a demonstration light and switch mounted on a board and a beacon bulb to neighborhood association meetings to demonstrate how it works. He said no wiring is necessary, and three flips of the switch initiates the flashing that continues up to three hours. The flashing stops when the light switch is turned off. Cox said the lights are not sold in stores and only through organizations like the neighborhood associations. Normally, he said, the lights retail for about $20 plus shipping, but the associations worked out a bulk price, so the cost per order is $15.

He said the lights can be helpful in other ways, too, like scaring off a potential intruder.

So far, the Meadowlawn Association alone has orders for 20, said Cox, who has received orders from residents outside the city, too.

"It's going over well," he said.

For more information about the beacon emergency lights or to place an order, contact your neighborhood association representative or call Ken Cox, neighborhood association volunteer coordinator, at 443-6972.