Safety is worth a little inconvenience.

So say we after reading News staff writer Julie Riddle’s recent report about Alpena County’s Red Dot Project, which has multiple county departments working together and with the state to correct bad addresses in the county, such as odd-numbered houses on even sides of the street or homes with addresses out of sequence with their neighbors.

Those kinds of inconsistencies can slow down emergency first responders such as paramedics, in whose work seconds can mean the difference between life and death. They shouldn’t have to spend precious time looking for whacky addresses.

Through the project, corrected addresses could mean some homes get new numbers on them. That could be frustrating to residents of those homes, who have to update their address with utility companies, newspapers and magazines to which they subscribe, and friends and family who send cards and letters.

But that inconvenience pales in comparison to the benefits of the timely arrival of first responders, and we urge residents whose numbers will be changed to have patience and cooperate with county crews in the process. That includes mounting new home number signs that will be handed out to those getting new addresses.

A little inconvenience now could save your life later on.