Emergency responders and visiting parents should have an easier time getting around campus because UF's buildings have new addresses.
The addresses have been changed to traditional street addresses. For example, Turlington Hall's address has been changed from the name of the building to 330 Newell Drive.
The old building names wouldn't appear on GPS devices, which made it hard for emergency vehicles and new parents to find their way around campus, said Frank Phillips, an associate director of UF's Facilities, Planning and Construction.
One of the reasons the addresses were changed was to make sure fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles could find the campus buildings on their GPS devices quickly.
"Our paramount concern is we do not in any way, shape or form want to have an issue with emergency response," he said.
The process of changing the addresses has been going on for about three years, Phillips said. It took about a year to get the addresses finalized.
Keith Godwin, E911 coordinator and communications section chief at Alachua County Fire Rescue, said the lack of traditional addresses made emergency responders' jobs more difficult.
"When you have a physical address, it's logical," he said. "It makes sense."
Signs with the new addresses will be added to campus buildings, but the names of halls and buildings won't change. Some campus buildings, including Dickinson Hall and the Counseling & Wellness Center, already have their address signs installed.
