National rural fire officer Kevin O’Connor said the changes, being passed by Parliament, include a provision that the cost of fighting forest fires would be treated like any other land or property fire with the cost borne by the service.
Previously, forest owners had to meet fire-fighting costs.
The changes would also make greater use of infringement notices and fines for fire starters.
The legislation integrated the various fire fighting services into one entity, Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ), which would be responsible for all fire fighting.
There would be little change for rural areas though the 12,000 fire-fighting volunteers should be better equipped, supported and trained.
“From the volunteers’ point of view, they will still have input and their support is critical but they will be under the umbrella of one agency.”
Rural fire authorities would disappear.
They were funded by local authorities, forest owners, the Conservation Department and the National Rural Fire Authority but their work would now be funded and administered by FENZ.
Federated Farmers rural fire spokesman Anders Crofoot described the consultation process around the reforms as one of the best he has been involved in.
Initial concerns that the process was little more than a takeover by the NZ Fire Service to the detriment of rural communities were addressed by the Government and politicians and the resulting structure incorporated the best aspects of each organisation.
“They’ve advertised it as a new organisation and things are in place for that to actually happen. It is not a Fire Service takeover.”
Crofoot was confident rural fire would get the support and resources it needed and deserved but, just as importantly, there would be better co-ordination between services.
In his area of Wairarapa the Masterton brigade attended all rural fires but the changes should improve communication with other emergency services to ensure an appropriate emergency response.
Brigades such as Masterton, with a large rural catchment, were equipped with big fire trucks suited to fighting urban not rural fires.
Crofoot hoped the changes would mean those brigades were equipped with trucks suited to travelling off- road and gear to fight rural fires.
He said 80% of calls to rural fire services were medical and while technically firemen did not have a mandate to attend, they did.
“Rural fire is not supposed to do it but you are there to serve your community, so you do it.”
The changes should provide more training and the opportunity for differentiated roles within the fire service between those wanting to fight fires and those wanting to assist with medical calls.
“I think that is something really positive.”
Middlemarch Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer John Foote, the chief fire officer said as a farmer the changes were positive, especially the shift from seeking recompense for extinguishing fires to other forms of apportioning liability for those who started fires.
Foote has been the brigade’s fire chief for 14 years and a member for 24 and said the only lingering concern he had was the length of time urban units like his were expected to attend a rural fire.
Traditionally, an urban unit would attend a rural fire for an hour before being relieved by a rural fire authority unit.
He wanted an assurance that volunteer urban brigades would not be required to fight prolonged rural fires.
“As volunteers we all have jobs to do.”
Foote said indications were that the changes were positive and that money was already being invested on plant, equipment and buildings.
