Northland mum shares concerns for firefighting daughter as strike action continues

Professional firefighter Paloma Huége de Serville, second from right, is taking part in industrial action alongside fellow Waikato brigade members. Photo / Supplied

A Northland mum says her professional firefighting daughter has attended 50 cardiac arrests, four suicides, car crashes, house fires, and saved nine lives in four years.

And all for a "couple of bucks" above minimum wage.

Chrisse Serville, of Kaiwaka, said she plans her future with her granddaughter in mind as "something very real" could happen to her daughter, Paloma Huége de Serville.

"I'm aware and Paloma is aware that she puts her own life at risk to save other people's lives and only gets paid $2 above minimum wage. It blows my mind," Serville says.

Her daughter, a paid firefighter in Waikato, is one of the hundreds of professional firefighters taking part in strike action nationwide.

Firefighters say they are fed up with low wages, long hours, poor health and safety conditions, and a lack of support.

However, their lifesaving work carries on as they continue to respond to emergencies even though industrial action is under way.

Serville says she has seen first-hand how hard firefighters work since her daughter made the shift from her army career five years ago and after the birth of her daughter.

Paloma Huége de Serville, professional firefighter in Waikato, graduated as the top recruit four years ago. Photo / Supplied

Before then she had no knowledge of the huge responsibilities firefighters faced as first responders.

"They go to everything from people in cardiac arrest, stabbings, suicides, drownings, drug overdoses, homicides, car accidents, house fires."

The country's firefighters responded to 96 per cent of the 2184 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests between July 1, 2020 and June 30 last year.

"People just don't know the extent of the work they do. The emotional toll. I mean, anything hazardous – they are there," Serville said.

And she believed the low pay fails to recognise the nature of their work.

Qualified firefighters receive a base salary of $58,400, and senior firefighters earn $65,000. However, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) says firefighters can earn more money through overtime or taking on specialist duties.

But Serville noted that added work isn't necessarily an antidote as many firefighters have families to care for.

Her stomach churns when she thinks about how FENZ management, HQ and administration staff are automatically covered by the organisation's income protection scheme but firefighters go without.

Because of their occupation, firefighters struggle to obtain income and medical insurance and when they do cover can be expensive given their low wages.

They currently have to battle to have cancer diagnoses recognised as linked to their occupation which would pre-qualify them for ACC.

Paloma Huége de Serville loves her job as a firefighter helping the community despite its hardships. Photo / supplied

Then there are the equipment failures. In February, a firetruck froze up at a big house fire in Wellington; then in May New Plymouth firefighters had to pull out of a burning house because their hose failed.

FENZ has since banned the type of yellow hose and searched for a replacement.

Despite the hardships of the job, Serville said her daughter loves her work.

"That's just who she is ... she likes supporting the community. She's a gem."

The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union says their first negotiating meeting with FENZ in mid-June "bombed".

Union secretary Wattie Watson said FENZ representatives vowed only to engage if the NZPFU reduced its wages and allowances claim but even then would only discuss remuneration.

FENZ refused the union's proposal to talk about staffing ratios and occupational cancers.

"Both parties were not prepared to move on the remuneration issue," Watson said.

Brendan Nally, FENZ deputy national commander, said the union had made more than 100 claims through bargaining that amounted to about $300 million over three years.

"To put this into context, Fire and Emergency's total annual budget is around $617m."

Nally said the union wanted a salary increase of 18 per cent; increased allowances for using specialist skills, vehicles, a mobile phone, and living in a metro area. They also requested paid leave to look after sick pets, increases to public holiday pay rates and meal allowances; allowances for new medical co-response, medical insurance, and increased payments for training.

Under FENZ's counter offer firefighters would receive 1.5 to 11 per cent increases to their base salaries before allowances - with the highest increase targeted to lower-paid firefighters and enhanced pay progression for the most senior firefighters.

Nally said the organisation had also committed to a further pay review for the 2022 year.

"We're both focused on doing the right thing by our people – the only way we'll do that is if we work constructively through this.

"I really urge the NZPFU to consider a more realistic set of claims, so we can return to the table and work to resolve matters."