Rapid responses needed from our rural communities

Hurunui District Council (HDC) has partnered with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to highlight and encourage a robust Rural Address Property Identification (RAPID) system in the Hurunui District.

Culverden Fire Chief Craig Ritchie has raised his concerns about the safety of the rural communities due to the current state of the RAPID numbering system.

“The lack of correct and properly displayed RAPID numbers in the District is making it extremely difficult for emergency services to locate people in critical situations.”

With the rate that emergencies can escalate, timing is key for our emergency services.

“Having a bold and reflective number will improve our response time. It takes three and a half minutes for an entire house to be fully engulfed in flames... Emergency services need to be able to find you quickly and easily.”

FENZ also responds to St John’s ‘purple’ calls, which occur when the incident is immediately life-threatening. In these cases, tell tail signs of danger such as smoke or flames are not always evident.

“Picture this, you’ve started CPR, and you tire because we are taking too long to locate you… People need to remember that we are not always looking for smoke.”

For rural properties, Craig says GPS is no longer efficient due to reception and the inability to pinpoint an exact location. RAPID numbers, therefore, remain the primary means for locating properties.

Mayor Marie Black is extremely grateful for people like Craig who work very hard to ensure the safety of everyone in the District.

“I feel a great sense of pride knowing that we have people in our communities who take it upon themselves to champion these very important messages, helping us to create a safer Hurunui.”

For more information on RAPID numbers, including multiple dwellings, follow the link to the HDC website, https://www.hurunui.govt.nz/property-rates/rapid-numbers