Fire and Emergency NZ will once again answer all 111 for Fire calls during the career firefighters’ full strike between 11am and 12pm on Friday 4 November.
“We will provide a response to fires in affected areas,” says National Commander Russell Wood.
“I want to reassure people this strike action will not affect most of the country which is served by our volunteer crews who will respond as normal. However, we do ask the public in cities, primarily served by career firefighters, to remain extra vigilant during this strike hour,” he says.
“There will be significantly fewer firefighters and 111 communication centre dispatchers than usual, and our responses will be delayed.
“Check your smoke alarms are working, make sure you have an evacuation plan from your house or place of work and take extra care.
“As always, we also ask people to only call 111 for Fire if there is a genuine emergency.
“Volunteers in urban areas will respond from their own stations in their own trucks to help as they do regularly when there are multiple emergencies at one time.
“We also won’t respond to less serious incidents in cities during the hour of the 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,” Russell Wood says.
“We have notified St John and Wellington Free Ambulance, that for the hour of the strike, career crews won’t respond to medical emergencies as they usually would – and volunteers won’t be responding to medical calls outside their patch,” he says.
“I had hoped the firefighters’ union leaders would have respected the independent mediator’s recommendation that strike strategies should be held off while both parties work through the recommendations and focus on reaching settlement instead of escalating strike action and putting New Zealanders at risk,” he says.
‘We urge the union leaders to reconsider and put all their focus into this opportunity for Fire and Emergency and our career firefighters to find a way forward and focus on our shared commitment to serving the community.
For more information visit our website. This also includes a map of fire station locations.