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
17 October 2023
Mike Hunua
By email: [FYI request #24186 email]
Tēnā koe Mike
Information Request – Specialist Appliance Replacement
Thank you for your information request dated 19 September 2023 asking for information
regarding the replacement of specialist appliances.
In accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982, responses to your questions
follow.
Is Fire and Emergency planning procurement of new appliances to replace its aging Type 4 Arial
trucks as they reach 20+ years old? What time frame does Fire and Emergency have to replace
these and what progress has been made?
Fire and Emergency New Zealand have 18 Type 4 heavy Pump/Aerial appliances distributed
around the country, including relief appliances. The appliances have a service life of 25 years and
the timeframe for procurement of new Type 4 appliances is based on the end of service life. The
oldest Type 4 appliance is 19 years old. Work is underway to define the operational requirements
for the replacement Type 4’s.
Also, has Fire and Emergency planned for the replacement of its also ageing Hazmat/Command
Vehicles, if so will the concept of a mixed-use vehicle (Hazmat/command) be retained and what
time frame does Fire and Emergency have to replace these vehicles?
Fire and Emergency does not have current procurement plans for the replacement of Hazmat
command vehicles. As above, the timeframe to replace these vehicles is based on the 25-year
service life of the vehicles. The oldest Hazmat/command vehicle is the relief vehicle which is 18
years old, and the oldest operational Hazmat/command vehicle is 15 years old. Before we procure
new Hazmat and/or command vehicles we will consult with key stakeholders regarding single vs
mixed use appliances, but we have not made any decisions at this stage.
In addition to this with recent extreme weather events and the nation's earthquake risk, does
Fire and Emergency have a replacement or expansion program for USAR Response vehicles and
Heavy/Techincal rescue units such as the one based at Papatoetoe in Auckland?
Fire and Emergency understands that our climate is changing, and these changes pose serious risks
to safety, property, and infrastructure. In extreme weather events we need to be able to respond
in a way that keeps our people and our communities safe. As an organisation we are continually
assessing our capability requirements and planning for the future needs of our communities.
Please note, as USAR is part of Fire and Emergency vehicles can be deployed to assist USAR
operations while not being tagged as USAR specific resources. In 2018 we replaced the Southern
USAR truck with a bigger vehicle to increase its capability. We have a replacement USAR truck on
order with expected delivery in April 2024 for both the Northern USAR and Central USAR teams to
replace their current trucks and increase capability.
We have also recently increased our ISV (Incident Support Vehicle) fleet from four to eight with
more on order. These are resources that can be deployed with USAR teams to incidents or events
to provide a quicker initial response. We do not have an active replacement or expansion program
for current Heavy/Technical Rescue appliances.
Fleet Working Party
As a result of the Terms of Settlement for the 2022 Col ective Agreement between the NZ
Professional Firefighters Union and Fire and Emergency NZ (the Parties) the establishment of
various Joint Working Parties was agreed – one of these parties is the Fleet Working Party (FWP).
The FWP are developing evidence-based recommendations of the future needs and capability
requirements for Fire and Emergency’s Red Fleet specifically pertaining to the type and number of
fire appliances (Pumps) and specialist appliances. Consideration will also be given to appliance
locations and the crewing/staffing of the appliances including the Type 4 Aerial and other
specialist fleet requirements.
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
