Fire and Emergency NZ has approved the appointment of nine more professional career firefighters to join the Gisborne brigade, in a significant boost to firefighting in the district. Photo / Murray Robertson
Fire and Emergency NZ has approved the appointment of nine more professional career firefighters to join the Gisborne brigade, in a significant boost to firefighting in the district. Photo / Murray Robertson
Gisborne has secured an endorsement from the Fire and Emergency New Zealand board to serve the community with nine additional career firefighters by 2026.
The significant boost will help address high levels of callouts and overtime for Tairāwhiti’s career firefighters along with decreasing volunteer availability.
The nine additional fulltime equivalent (FTE) roles will be created at the Gisborne fire station, which operates a composite station model staffed by both career and volunteer firefighters.
Peter Clark, Fire and Emergency NZ area manager and fire commander, said a composite two-career crew model was standard in 14 stations across Aotearoa New Zealand.
“What is unique about Gisborne is that our minimum shift staffing for career firefighters is six,” Clark said.
“Our minimum shift staffing means we can crew one and a half appliances with career firefighters (four in one appliance and two in the other) with the second compliance filled through call-outs of off-duty career firefighters or volunteers.”
Clark said assembling a full second crew was becoming more difficult in Gisborne and high levels of callouts and overtime for career firefighters along with decreasing volunteer availability meant they couldn’t always turn out their second appliance.
“Despite the efforts of our crews across Tairāwhiti, we have seen our response times lengthening and our non-responses increasing," he said.
Stanley Rd house fire pictured in 2021: Clark said assembling a full second crew had been becoming more difficult in Gisborne.
“Turning out a second appliance under the current model means we are reliant on career firefighters taking on emergency overtime or volunteers being available for calls.”
With the staffing boost, there will be two firefighters added to each of the four shifts plus a reliever which will allow two four-person crews on duty 24-7.
“Planning and work for this will start in early 2025 with the nine roles in place by July 1, 2026,” Clark said.
“Ahead of this date, property work is needed to accommodate the additional personnel and we will start planning to fill the roles.”
He said the endorsement was a “great outcome for both our people and the Tairāwhiti community".
“It supports the safety, health and well-being of our career and volunteer personnel while making sure we meet the community’s needs.”
He said the safety, health and wellbeing of “our people” had been at the centre of decision-making.
“When our crews are out helping their communities, we want to make sure they’re safe and their wellbeing is taken into consideration, which includes ensuring they are well rested.”
Tairāwhiti was a remote part of Aotearoa New Zealand that has experienced some challenging events, particularly in the last couple of years, according to Clark.
“Our Gisborne station is the only station staffed by a career crew in this district, supported by several volunteer crews.
“In challenging events, they need to be self-reliant and resilient because it can take time for extra help to arrive from outside of the district.
How will the staffing increase be funded?
Clark said several options had been analysed to address the issues identified, weighing up the ongoing financial commitment “with the needs of our people and their community”.
“The additional roles will be funded through a small reprioritisation of provisioned funding that has been approved in principle to improve our firefighter staffing ratios across the country, by an additional 235 firefighters,” he said.
“The impact of a reduction in this provisioned funding is considered negligible when we look at the total uplift in the firefighter ratio and will be managed as part of a phased approach to the overall staffing increase.
“We will need to make some property changes to accommodate the additional number of people in the Gisborne station. This will be managed within our current operating budget.”
