Firefighters bullied over sprinkler response

Firefighters bullied over limited response to sprinklers

New Zealand Fire Service Management are intimidating operational Firefighters by threatening them with disciplinary action if they respond more fire appliances to emergency incidents than that provided for in their recent nationwide instruction.

Every Officer who increases the response is being asked by Management after each call to please explain.

The recent Fire Service instruction limits the number of fire appliances responding to buildings fitted with sprinkler systems. The NZ Professional Firefighters Union says this move endangers the people who live, work, sleep in those buildings, as well as Firefighters. Our members are following the NZPFU’s advice to respond the numbers of fire appliances that used to respond prior to 29-4-2010 to ensure these risks are minimised.

It was only a couple a weeks ago that the Minister of Internal Affairs, Nathan Guy was praising the work Firefighters do as “Guardians of the Community” now the Fire Service who he is responsible for want to discipline us for being just that.

The Fire Service proposal is short sighted, lacks any evidence to back up their claim to reduce responses or evidence that it causes problems when more fire appliances respond to fire calls.

This policy can only ever be seen as some sort of cost cutting measure at the expense of the public.

It’s only a matter of when, not if the implementation of this policy and the subsequent reduced fire appliance response will result in greater loss of property, increased injury or worst case scenario loss of life, the NZPFU believe Fire Service Management know that. The NZPFU certainly won’t take any satisfaction from saying “We told you so” when this occurs.

Since the introduction of this new policy Firefighters concerns have being confirmed by an admission from Fire Service Management in various locations that a large percentage of buildings fitted with sprinkler systems have not been “Risk Assessed” properly as required by this Fire Services policy.

This is proven by numerous numbers of buildings being identified by Fire Service Management as fully sprinklered, when in fact they are not. A building identified by Fire Service policy as fully sprinklered will in many cases receive a reduced response of fire appliances.

It has come as no surprise to Firefighters that the Fire Service are now playing catch up and have reversed some of their earlier cuts, which further proves the cuts were wrong in the first place.

An example of Firefighters concerns having been further justified is after a fire in a large Mall complex in Hamilton the day after the policy came into force where a reduced response of fire appliances were called for, but increased against policy by on duty staff, It was only because of that increased response the fire was dealt with safely and effectively.

It is interesting to now note that full and proper responses to this complex have been reinstated by the Fire Service, why has this happened if operational Firefighters are so wrong?

The position the Fire Service are now adopting in the please explain prior to being disciplined is that somehow the Fire Service are clearly trying to blame Firefighters for their inaction and mistakes, it’s bizarre.

Operational Officers along with the NZPFU have raised concerns with Fire Service Management since this proposal first raised its head June 2009 without any success.

Management have just blundered on with a flawed or complete lack of “Risk Assessment” and have not listened to operational Firefighters who have local knowledge to know what fire appliance responses is required at particular buildings.

The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union calls on the Fire Service to stop intimidating and threatening our members with disciplinary action, after all they are only implementing increased fire appliance responses with the safety of buildings, public and Firefighters alike in mind and to withdraw this policy until all the affected properties have been assessed and the level of fire appliance responses is consulted on and agreed with operational Officers and Firefighters who have to use them practically at the sharp end.

ENDS

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