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September 22 2015
Kaipara
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Calling for clarity u by Ayla Miller
Fire brigades around the Kaipara District are calling for residents to ensure their Rural Address Property Identification, known as RAPID numbers, are clearly visible from the road in both directions.
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Tinopai chief fire officer Allan Crabb says the numbers in Tinopai are displayed for incoming traffic and posties rather than for outgoing traffic like the fire trucks. “They are there to suit the postie but because we are coming from the other direction we have to drive past the letter box to see the RAPID number. “Over time some have either fallen off or got broken and they are just not there any more.” He urges people to put their rapid numbers on both sides of their letter boxes or display it clearly so it can be seen from the road. The RAPID system is a numbering system for rural properties in New Zealand and signals the distance to a property entrance from a reference point, usually the beginning of the road on which it is located. Emergency Services have access to this information to ensure faster response times. Although some of the brigades do use Global Positioning Systems, they still require a number to direct them to a property and a reliable service. Dargaville senior firefighter Penny Searle says her brigade also have difficulties with the RAPID numbers. “We have a lot of trouble with the old red RAPID numbers. The majority of the time there are just white signs with no numbers on them because the red has faded off.
p Fireman Gregg Dunn points out a correctly displayed RAPID number
“We very rarely use our GPS because in some places there is no service, like most of the way down by Pouto and past Kaihu, so GPS is null and void.” The Te Kopuru brigade have an overlapping area with Dargaville meaning they have the same problems. Ms Searle says the blue Kaipara District Council RAPID numbers are ideal, provided they are displayed properly. “They have a reflective piece which is really good for us at night. Even if people just have a spray painted number
on the fence or a number on their letter box it helps.” Other emergency services have a similar plea with St John district operation manager Tony Devanney also saying ambulance drivers rely on these numbers for efficient responses. “It’s hard to quickly identify rural properties and the rapid numbers are the perfect way. “It’s reflective and it’s the same everywhere. If everyone had them it would save a lot of delays.” ¢
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