Firefighters walked off the job for an hour on Wednesday as more than 52,000 people backed calls for a full independent inquiry into Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
Members of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union struck nationwide from 12pm to 1pm, with firefighters and supporters gathering outside Parliament in Wellington as the union took its petition to MPs.
The petition calls for an independent inquiry into FENZ’s funding, expenditure and ability to maintain reliable emergency response services.
The union scheduled the formal handover to Governance and Administration Committee chair Jan Tinetti and other MPs for around 12.20pm.
The protest comes just eight days after Parliament’s Governance and Administration Committee released a highly critical report into FENZ’s fire appliance fleet.
The committee examined the condition of the country’s fire appliances, procurement delays, breakdowns, replacement planning and whether frontline firefighters have access to safe and reliable vehicles.
Its report called for major changes to the way FENZ manages its fleet and raised concerns extending beyond fire appliances to the organisation’s wider capacity and capability.
The NZPFU says those findings strengthen its case for a wider inquiry into how FENZ is managed and how its funding is spent.
The union has argued that problems with ageing appliances, frontline resources and organisational management cannot be considered separately.
Wednesday’s action also comes amid a long-running collective bargaining dispute between FENZ and professional firefighters.
Fire and Emergency warned ahead of the strike that emergency calls would continue to be answered but some response times in cities and larger towns could be longer than usual.
The pressure around FENZ intensified further on Wednesday, with both National and Labour announcing proposals for changes to the fire service.
National announced a three-point plan focused on FENZ accountability, fleet replacement, training and support for firefighters.
Labour separately said it would launch an independent review of FENZ funding and operations if elected.
The NZPFU’s petition goes further in calling for a full independent inquiry into the organisation.
More than 52,000 people had signed the petition by the time firefighters took their campaign to Parliament.
