Firefighting national merger takes effect

FROM today, New Zealand’s 40 firefighting organisations come together under one umbrella — Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

And what does it mean for the public? Nothing, those in the organisation say.

In region 5 — the area south of the Waitaki River — firefighters will still fight fires, attend car crashes and medical emergencies, and perform firstresponse duties in natural disasters.

However, behind the scenes the wheels are turning to create a more streamlined and efficient organisational structure, bringing together the country’s urban, rural, paid and volunteer firefighters.

‘‘For firefighters in our region it’s business as usual on 1 July,’’ region 5 regional manager rural Mike Grant said.

‘‘The change will have no disruption to current services and people should still call 111 in an emergency.

‘‘Preventing and responding to emergencies will always be our No 1 priority.’’

The changes behind the scenes would be investigated and decided on during the next two years, region 5 fire region manager David Guard said.

‘‘In the ensuing twotothreeyear period, we are going to develop what we are calling a target operating model,’’ he said.

‘‘Once that’s in place they can determine the structure to deliver on it.’’

A full restructure was expected to take place following two years of development.

That restructure was expected to mostly impact managerial roles.

In Otago and Southland, the most immediate change would be the bringing together of all firefighters and officers in the New Zealand Fire Service, Otago Rural Fire Authority and Southern Rural Fire Authority under the new organisation, Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

Nationally, it meant 14,000 paid and volunteer firefighters would be part of a single fire fighting service, Mr Guard said. ‘‘It’s massive.

‘‘This is the biggest change to fire and emergency services in New Zealand since the 1970s,’’ Otago Rural Fire Authority Principal Rural Fire Officer Phil Marsh said.

‘‘There should be no change overnight,’’ he said yesterday.

‘‘Going into tomorrow the public should expect the same service they get today.’’

Those seeking fire permits could still contact the same numbers they always had and a call to 111 would still elicit the same response.

‘‘We will be offering exactly the same service to everyone they get now,’’ he said.

However, the change was more than cosmetic as the pooling of knowledge and infrastructure under one organisation should lead to greater efficiencies and firefighting capability in the future.

‘‘I can see it getting better going forward,’’ Mr Marsh said.

‘‘That collective knowledge will make things better for the guys on the frontline.’’

The merger would also make funding ‘‘much simpler’’, he said.

‘‘We have to let things bed in, let things consolidate and find out organisationally where we are going from a structural point of view.

‘‘But for now it’s steady as she goes.’’

East Otago area commander Laurence Voight said the same chain of command and command structures would continue for frontline firefighters.

‘‘For urban fire it’s a change in name and for people in rural

units it’s a change in employer.

‘‘We have already got a great working relationship going with rural fire services,’’ he said.

‘‘After July 1 we are going to have an even closer relationship with them.’’

New Zealand Fire Service Commission chairman Paul Swain said the new organisation would give New Zealand’s firefighters the support they needed to protect and help prepare the country’s communities now and into the future.

‘‘Our firefighters are highly respected and trusted and do a great job already, but their roles are changing all the time,’’ he said.

‘‘Firefighters once just focused on fire. Now they do a lot more, responding to motor vehicle crashes, medical emergencies, hazardous materials spillages, storms, floods, earthquakes and a wide range of rescue situations.

‘‘The changes recognise the vital roles of volunteer and career firefighters, the importance of community, while addressing longstanding issues such as the variable funding of rural fire operations.

‘‘These are the biggest changes in decades so we are focused on getting it right. We will work with our people, including their representative unions and associations, and our partners over the next three years as we integrate into one, unified organisation.’’

timothy.brown@odt.co.nz

This is the biggest change to fire and emergency services in New Zealand since the 1970s❜