Firefighters lack safeguard

Firefighters spend much of their time carrying out work that has nothing to do with fires, but many are not covered by the law when they do so, says a Department of Internal Affairs review.

Non-fire emergencies - such as floods and car accidents - have tripled in number since the 1970s.

The 95-page document says that over those three decades, the number of fire fatalities has been in steady decline.

Despite this shift in work focus, in many cases there is nothing in the law stipulating that firefighters must attend non-fire jobs, says the review.

Fire Fighters Union national secretary Derek Best said rural members sometimes did not have the authority they needed when dealing with non-fire emergencies.

Firefighters had been heavily involved in flood relief work in recent times, even though it was not something the service was funded to do.

"If you look at the flooding, which we are told will happen more frequently, it would be useful if there was an authority to work in that area," Mr Best said.

When it came to fires, by law a firefighter could break into a house to put one out, and the law should be the same for emergencies such as flooding.

Mr Best warned that without legislation, firefighters could face legal ramifications.

"They need the authority to do it, just as the police do. What we really want is for the law to reflect that role as well."

The review says that four in 10 jobs attended by the Fire Service are false alarms.

But that reflects a larger number of call-outs, greater fire safety awareness and more rigorous checking procedures and standards, the document says.

Local Government NZ chief executive Eugene Bowen said local bodies welcomed the review of fire and rescue legislation.

Fire services were critical to communities, particularly in rural areas, and a review should mean greater strength and support for the service.

Mr Bowen said the review would move to replace the Fire Services Act 1975 and the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977.

New legislation would acknowledge the evolving role of the Fire Service and would aim to resolve inconsistencies between urban and rural fire systems. 

  
AN EXPANDING ROLE

Total fire incidents

1976: 19,687

2003: 22,769

False-alarm incidents

1976: 13,225

2003: 25,996

Non-fire incidents

1976: 5969

2003: 16,096.