There were 18 calls to Fire and Emergency NZ during today’s one-hour strike by the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union.
Around 2000 union members walked off the job between 12pm and 1pm today after negotiations with Fire and Emergency New Zealand broke down. The striking firefighters were demanding better pay, conditions, and equipment.
Over the course of the strike, FENZ said it received 18 calls – 10 of which were in areas impacted by the strike.
Three incidents were vehicle crashes, while the remaining were building alarms, which it was alerted to through alarm systems or 111 calls. None were confirmed to be fires.
Holes left by the striking union members were filled by volunteer firefighters, who responded as normal to the incidents within their areas.
Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler thanked Kiwis for taking extra care during the strike.
“Thank you to our more than 11,000 volunteers across the country, and their employers, for supporting them to respond over today’s strike hour.
“I would also like to thank our Operational Commanders and Communication Centre Managers, who contributed to the response.”
