Fire station alert system malfunctions

Fire and Emergency NZ’s firstchoice alert system is increasingly failing, with about eight issues reported every month.

Details released under the Official Information Act show the ‘‘Selcall’’ system had problems – some affecting the system nationwide – 33 times between February and May this year.

It was the same system that failed for 24 minutes in a widespread Wellington blackout in August with many emergency calls as back-up generators around the city were fired up, ejecting plumes of smoke.

The problems included Wellington fire station showing as not turning up to a fire when the firefighters were on site, as well as a case in an unspecified location where Selcall failed, then ‘‘all polling’’ failed, a back-up failed, and there were radio problems.

The system failed nationwide seven times in the four-month period.

Gavin Travers, from Fire and Emergency NZ, said the Selcall system, which had been in place for years, was used to sound alarms in stations and fire trucks.

‘‘Increasingly faults are being reported in the system,’’ Travers said.

A programme of work had been initiated to improve the system and it was being reviewed, he said.

Selcall was just one of three methods to mobilise crews alongside paging and voice, he said.

‘‘When any one of the three methods is unavailable, the other two act as back-up.’’

Bella Sutherland, from Fire and Emergency, said the systems were designed to ensure that if one system had problems, there were other options.

‘‘For example, most of our volunteer brigades will receive notification of an incident through their individual pagers, which are on a separately operated system, while Selcall operates the fire siren at the local station.’’