A significant milestone was reached last week with the first meeting of the Fire and Emergency Otago Local Advisory Committee.

Local Advisory Committees (LACs) are responsible for providing independent advice from a local perspective to the Fire and Emergency Board to inform local emergency planning. They will work closely with a wide range of people to do this, including the local Fire and Emergency management team.

Otago LAC chair Brenden Winder says the Committee’s first face-to-face meeting on 8 and 9 October was a tangible step forward for the committee and for Fire and Emergency.

"It was great to have the Committee together and to meet with members of the Fire and Emergency Regional and Local Advisory Committee team. We covered a lot of ground and were able to more closely pinpoint who our main community contacts in Otago will be and who we will be engaging with to help us form our advice."

Fire and Emergency Region Manager, Mike Grant says it was great to be part of the first meeting.

"We look forward to working closely with our committee to build a common understanding of Otago’s needs and considering how we address these at a local level. The work of the Local Advisory Committee will also strengthen connections between Fire and Emergency and our communities in the area."

Wider Local Advisory Committee community engagement is expected to begin in early 2021.

More information about our first seven Local Advisory Committees in Northland, Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Chatham Islands, the West Coast, Marlborough, and Otago is available on the Fire and Emergency website (fireandemergency.nz/LACs).

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