National Headquarters
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
National Headquarters
Spark Central, Level 7
42-52 Wil is Street
Wel ington Central
Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 496 3600
10 July 2023
Will Te Huia
By email: [FYI request #23099 email]
Tēnā koe Will
Information Request – Fire and Emergency dashcam policy
I refer to your official information request dated 12 June 2023 asking for the following
information
.
“a. Copies of any policies or instructions FENZ has distributed regarding on-board cameras
('dashcams') operating on its fleet, or any draft policies FENZ has created but not
distributed,
b. The details (make/model) of any cameras that are currently in use, including any self-
installed at a brigade level.
c. Any storage and data retention policies FENZ has in place regarding footage or stil
images taken incidents, or in the course of FENZ duties,
d. Copies of any internal discussion or research that has been undertaken on video
recording devices, either for staff or for vehicles,
e. Details of the training that has been made available for FENZ staff and volunteers on
recording at incidents, training, and the related privacy policies,
f. Details of how FENZ staff and volunteers are instructed to store footage or stil images
they capture in the course of their duties,
g. Detail on whether any disciplinary action has been taken (or is underway) in Region 4 (Te
Ihu) regarding the taking of, storage of, or deletion of footage at incidents.”
In accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA), please find a response
to your request below.
a. Copies of any policies or instructions FENZ has distributed regarding on-board cameras
('dashcams') operating on its fleet, or any draft policies FENZ has created but not distributed,
Please find
enclosed the following two documents which fall within scope of this aspect of your
request.
• A document titled
“Region 4 Surveil ance Camera Procedure” which was created in 2019. It
is a procedural document detailing how to request, use, and store footage taken by
surveillance cameras used by Fire and Emergency employees in the Te Ihu region.
However, while Fire and Emergency holds this document and it falls in scope of your
request, we are advised it was never enacted and will be rescinded as well as removed
from the Fire and Emergency intranet. Please note the document refers to “3 Go-Pro
cameras” which our current staff in Te Ihu do not recal ever having received.
• A document titled
“Region 4 Surveillance Camera Policy” which is another procedural
document detailing similar guidance. This document was created by the New Zealand Fire
Service prior to the inception of Fire and Emergency New Zealand in 2017. The procedures
contained in this document are not currently enacted.
• A “
Use of Fire and Emergency vehicles agreement” form, which all Fire and Emergency and
authorised non-Fire and Emergency drivers of Fire and Emergency support vehicles must
read and sign. This agreement requires that any modifications or accessories added to a
vehicle be approved by the National Manager Fleet. Dashcams fall into the category of
accessory and modification and one has been approved by the National Manager Fleet to
date (detailed below).
• An Appliance maintenance policy, which states that no modifications are to be made to
Fire and Emergency appliances without approval from the National Manager Fleet or
delegated personnel. As above, we consider dashcams modifications and none have been
approved by the National Manager Fleet to date.
We otherwise have no policies or instructions drafted or distributed regarding on-board cameras
operating on our fleet.
b. The details (make/model) of any cameras that are currently in use, including any self-installed
at a brigade level.
Fire and Emergency has recently purchased one dash cam, a Navman MiVUE 1000 SENSOR XL. The
purpose of this was to check a vehicle for a reported intermittent fault. Apart from this occasion,
Fire and Emergency has not instructed the installation or supplied any dash cameras to any
stations or brigades.
Some brigades or drivers may have sourced and fitted their own dash cams, but the Fire and
Emergency fleet team does not have any formal record of the use or details of them.
Given we have no records of dashcams being used by brigades, finding out whether there are any
self-installed dashcams at the brigade level as well as their make and model would require us to go
to all individual brigades to ask for this information. Doing so would impose a substantial
administrative burden on our operations. If you would like the details of self-installed dashcams at
a specific brigade or district, please make a further request for that information.
We have found minutes referring to the purchase and use of dashcams in one district. We are not
aware of the make and model of the dashcams, but we understand that they are no longer in use.
More detail is provided under our response to your question d.
c. Any storage and data retention policies FENZ has in place regarding footage or stil images
taken incidents, or in the course of FENZ duties
According to our media policy, we can only distribute photographs and videos of incidents
attended if the Officer in Charge has approved it for use, and it can only be used within Fire and
Emergency. For example, it may be approved for use as:
• Training materials, authorised by the People and Workforce Capability Directorate
(Training)
• Formal guidance issued by the Service Delivery Branch
• Fire and Emergency reports
We have a privacy policy for when such footage or images are personal information. “Personal
information” means any information about an identifiable individual. Personnel are responsible for
ensuring the col ection, use, disclosure, and storage of any personal information complies with the
information privacy principles (IPPs) in the Privacy Act 2020.
Therefore, any footage or images taken in such situations that count as personal information
would also be subject to our privacy policy. For example, if videos or photos are taken of another
person. Personal information could not be approved for use in the above ways without prior
authorisation from that individual. Find
enclosed a copy of our media and privacy policies for your
information.
d. Copies of any internal discussion or research that has been undertaken on video recording
devices, either for staff or for vehicles,
Please find
enclosed the following five documents we have identified as being internal discussion
of video recording devices:
• Minutes from the West Coast District Tactical Meetings held on 26 April 2023 and 12 June
2023
• Minutes from the West Coast District Volunteer Support Meetings held on 8 May 2023, 15
May 2023, and 29 May 2023
Information from the minutes has been withheld as it is not in scope of your request. These
documents state that dashcams have been purchased, made available, and fitted by individuals.
However, we are advised that all dashcams in the district have subsequently been disengaged and
no new installations are going to be completed, as the Region Manager had not, and does not,
approve of their use. As above, the Fire and Emergency fleet team held no central record of the
procurement or use of these dashcams.
The Fire Emergency Commanders Association have also proposed that vehicles driven by their
members are fitted with dash cams, and this is an open item in current employment contract
negotiations. Beyond them appearing as an item in these negotiations, it has not led to any
discussion or research about these devices, either for staff or for vehicles. We do not hold any
further discussion or research on video recording devices.
Please note we did not do a nationwide search for all mentions of dashcams, down to brigades
and individuals. While it possible that there is some discussion of dashcams at this level,
investigating would impose a substantial administrative burden. Therefore, we only searched for
any research or discussion happening at a national level and in the Te Ihu region, because this is
where we found the obsolete dashcam policies and because you mention Te Ihu by name in your
request. If you would like to make a more targeted request for discussion between more specific
regions over a specific time frame, please make a further request for that information.
e. Details of the training that has been made available for FENZ staff and volunteers on
recording at incidents, training, and the related privacy policies
We currently offer no specific training for staff and volunteers on recording at incidents or
training. Therefore, this aspect of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, because
the information does not exist. However, the related privacy policy is referred to above and
enclosed.
f. Details of how FENZ staff and volunteers are instructed to store footage or stil images they
capture in the course of their duties,
There are no specific instructions given to Fire and Emergency staff or volunteers about storing
footage or still images captured in the course of their duties. Therefore, this aspect of your request
is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, because the information does not exist. However, as
above, staff and volunteers are required to handle such information in accordance with our media
and privacy policies. These instructions are held on our intranet, which is accessible to all staff and
volunteers.
g. Detail on whether any disciplinary action has been taken (or is underway) in Region 4 (Te Ihu)
regarding the taking of, storage of, or deletion of footage at incidents.
No disciplinary action has been undertaken, or is underway by Fire and Emergency in Te Ihu,
regarding the taking, storage, or deletion of footage at incidents or in the course of our other
duties. Therefore, this aspect of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, because
the information does not exist.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa nā
Julia McCook-Weir
Manager, Information Requests
encl
