The NZ Fire Service (NZFS) is set to strike nationwide this Friday 19^th August. There may be delays in responding to emergencies mainly in our big cities. Strike is set for 11am for an hour for professional/career firefighters. A further strike is planned for the following Friday 26th, with possible further action.

During the one-hour strike emergencies will still be responded to, however there may be fewer firefighters than usual and response time may be delayed.

For volunteer fire stations of which there are 600+ nationally, they will respond to emergencies as they do normally. Did you know over 80% of the NZFS is volunteer based?

We have volunteer stations stretching from Puhoi to Mangawhai and beyond. These stations and their volunteers are on standby with potential for them to be called outside of their normal servicing areas. For example, they may be called out all the way to Papakura in Auckland city. It is a massive area they may have to cover. Hopefully it won’t be needed especially in the one-hour window.

Be vigilant

This serves as a good reminder for people to be safe, careful, and vigilant so that they do not require emergency services. Bad weather is forecast for the rest of the week and firefighters are often called to floods, trees down, power outages support etc. There may be delays responding to these events so please be patient!

Salary comparison

On another note, it seems ridiculous that 600+ stations, with 80% of firefighters around NZ are being run by volunteers that do NOT get paid for their commitment and service to their communities. Since when do we have volunteer Police and Paramedic services?

Professional qualified Firefighters earn a base salary of $58,000 annually. To put that into perspective Police recruits earn $56,000 in their training year. First year out of college they earn $81,710, which increases with every year after. Paramedics with up to five years' experience usually earn on average $75,000 per year. So why are firefighters being short changed? How are career firefighters able to afford living costs and to support families?

The transition to first responders

In 2014, fire crews began partnering with St John, to act as first responders for some life-threatening incidents, like heart attacks, violent crime, and attempted suicide. Many firefighters are faced with horrific traumatic scenes that they haven’t been trained or paid for. Nor are they given sufficient counselling to deal with what they experience.

Issues negotiated

Fire Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU)

have been in negotiations about conditions and pay for over a year and have not been able to come to agreement. While FENZ have offered a pay rise the Union says it is not enough and the strike is not just about pay, it is about conditions and systemic issues with FENZ.

Some of which include more staff needed as many are working overtime for long periods at a time – there have been reports of some Northland career Firefighters working up to 40 hours OVERTIME a week!

Other issues cited include equipment and machinery which is old, outdated, cumbersome and in short supply. There are also calls for remuneration and psychological trauma support for medical callouts that firefighters are often tasked with being first at emergency scenes. NZPFU also wants acknowledgement from FENZ that firefighters are at an increased risk of cancer. WHO declared firefighting to be carcinogenic recently after research found firefighters were four times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general population.

One of the fire engines at Auckland's Central Fire Station with messages on it indicating how firefighters are feeling about their current work situation. Photo: RNZ / Rayssa Almeida

A small win for Firefighters

NZPFU has recently won a dispute with FENZ through The Employment Relations Authority that determined firefighters working overtime on a public holiday must be paid 1.5 times the overtime rate as the overtime rate is the relevant daily pay.

Hopefully their BIG win is heading their way soon!

Reminder the strike days are Friday 19^th and Friday 26^th from 11am-12pm