Legislative changes
In 2004 a review of fire legislation began. This aimed to recognise the changing role of the Fire Service in helping with civil defence and other emergency rescue work, and to better align the urban and rural fire systems. There was public consultation on proposed law changes.
In 2006 the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations replaced earlier regulations. The Fire Service now helped review fire-safety designs before they were given building consents.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was established on 1 July 2017 by the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017. The new Crown entity amalgamated the New Zealand Fire Service, the National Rural Fire Authority, and 38 rural fire districts and territorial authorities. The members of the governing board of FENZ are appointed by and report to the minister of internal affairs.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is funded by a levy, which is included in all insurance contracts covering property (houses, contents and vehicles) against loss by fire.
Role of Fire and Emergency
Fire and Emergency is responsible for fighting fires and promoting fire safety and prevention. It also responds to other emergencies. In 2007, 73,333 incidents were attended by the Fire Service, but only one-third (24,279) of these were fires. The remainder were events such as chemical spills and road accidents. Firefighters can be called on for a wide range of tasks, from rescuing cats caught up tall trees to securing roofs blown loose in storms. Their work can be dangerous. Two volunteer firefighters were killed by a slip at Muriwai in February 2023 in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. New Zealand firefighters often assist during overseas emergencies. In early 2023, for example, teams were sent to help with flooding in New South Wales and fight wildfires in western Canada.
Fire and Emergency’s jurisdiction covers most of New Zealand’s land mass, including public conservation land, which until 2017 was the responsibility of the Department of Conservation. The New Zealand Defence Force provides fire services for the land it controls. All major airports have crash fire services. There are also several hundred industrial fire brigades at freezing works, timber and steel mills, oil refineries and large factories.
United against fires
A large rural population, poverty and substandard housing contributed to a spate of fatal house fires in Northland in 2002. This prompted a fire prevention programme called Te Kotahitanga. Local people were trained as ‘fire safety advisors’ and visited homes, installing smoke alarms, providing safety advice and drawing up escape plans.
Fire-safety campaigns
In the early 2000s the Fire Service expanded its campaigns to raise public awareness of fire dangers. The Firewise education programme taught young primary and intermediate students about fire safety. Television advertisements targeted a broader audience. A 2003 commercial about the speed at which fire can spread won a Gold Award at the Cannes International Advertising Awards.
Workforce
In 2023, FENZ had a total staff of more than 14,700, including 1,807 career firefighters (who responded to 80% of all incidents and covered 80% of the population) and 8,507 volunteer firefighters. They answered 97,870 calls and attended 88,531 incidents in the 2022/23 year. The country’s five fire regions had a total of 641 station sites at which 1278 fire appliances were based.
Just 6% of career firefighters and 15.6% of volunteer firefighters were women in 2023. Nearly half the 1500 respondents to an independent 2018 review of workplace culture reported witnessing or experiencing bullying or harassment, usually by a more senior colleague. A follow-up review in 2022 recommended zero tolerance for these behaviours, and said that FENZ’s workforce should reflect the diversity of the general population.