Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler says people must be extra careful with fire safety as the New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union undertakes another one-hour strike today.
Paid firefighters will walk off the job between 12-1pm today, putting public safety at risk in the process.
Megan Stifler says there are things the public can do while strike action takes place to remain safe.
“We will answer 111 calls during the hour and respond to fires in strike affected areas, but our responses will be delayed because our callouts will have to be covered by volunteers.
“Our dispatch system will respond volunteers from their own stations in their own trucks to help as they regularly do when there are multiple emergencies at one time, and it will take them longer.
“We’re asking people and businesses in cities and towns primarily served by paid firefighters to remain extra careful.
Businesses should take care with any work practices that could result in fire, and make sure their tenants understand their evacuation schemes and procedures,” she says.
“We are advising everyone that, should there be a fire, to evacuate early and, once out, stay out. Then call 111.
“People should also check their smoke alarms and their escape plans.
“Community safety is of the utmost importance to us,” Megan Stiffler says.
“As we did during the previous one-hour strikes, Fire and Emergency will prioritise emergencies and as a result may not respond to less serious incidents in cities and towns during the one-hour strike.
“For example, private fire alarms where there is no evidence of a fire, small rubbish fires, assisting traffic management, and animal rescues. This will ensure our resources are focused where they are needed most,” Megan Stiffler says.
“We have notified Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance that, for the one-hour strike, our volunteer crews won’t be able to respond to medical calls outside their patch.
“I want to reassure people that this strike action will not affect most of the country. The vast majority of communities are served by our more than 11,000 volunteers in nearly 600 stations across New Zealand who will respond as usual.”
Bargaining
“The Employment Relations Authority is currently considering our application to provide facilitation to bring the parties together and work constructively towards a resolution,” says Stifler.
“We don’t see the point in putting the community at risk with this strike while that process plays out. The NZPFU’s recent settlement proposal is three times more than our offer, which was fair, reasonable and in line with other settlements across the public service.
“Our offer of a 6.2 percent increase over three years would have taken the average senior firefighter remuneration from a range of approximately $80,700-$87,400 to $85,800-$92,900 at the end of the period, excluding overtime and allowances which currently adds an average of $38,800 to annual remuneration. We believe this represented a fair and sustainable increase for our people.
“We value our people, which is why over the past decade average senior firefighter pay has cumulatively increased by 37 percent – more than 10 percent above the average increase for all workers.
“We will continue to work in good faith toward a fair and sustainable agreement, which is why today’s action is completely unnecessary,” says Stifler.
Notes
- Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union have been negotiating a collective employment agreement for career firefighters since 16 July 2024.
- Fire and Emergency’s recent offer amounts to a 6.2 percent average increase over three years and compares favourably with equivalent public sector agreements.
- Fire and Emergency considers the offer is sustainable; balances cost of living pressures being faced by individuals alongside fiscal pressures faced by Fire and Emergency and is consistent with the Government Workforce Policy Statement.
- The previous 2022 collective employment agreement settlement provided a cumulative wage increase of up to 24 percent over a three-year period for career firefighters.
- Fire and Emergency has also been investing in replacing our fleet, with 317 trucks replaced since 2017 and another 78 on order. We are currently spending over $20 million per year on replacement trucks. There is also a significant programme of station upgrades underway, as well as investment in training.
- For the 2025/26 financial year Fire and Emergency’s operating budget is $857.9 million. Of that operating budget,
- 59 percent will be spent directly on the frontline, while another 32 percent is spent on frontline enablers. This means that over 90 percent of Fire and Emergency’s budget is spent on the frontline and the people directly supporting the frontline.
