The Professional Firefighters Union says Fire and Emergency will consult on a national policy for managing station callouts that, if adopted, could end the routine call-back of off‑duty career firefighters to backfill empty stations.

In a note to members, the union cited an email from Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler advising that on Tuesday, 7 April, FENZ would seek feedback on a proposed “Policy and Procedure for the management of station callouts,” aiming for a consistent national approach, reduced impact on off‑duty staff, better fatigue management and organisational efficiencies.

The union’s view is that such a policy would mean stations aren’t backfilled when on‑duty crews are committed to incidents, weakening cover for follow‑on emergencies. It pointed to Whanganui last Friday night, where on‑duty crews were tied up on a specialist line rescue to reach two dogs in a ravine. Off‑duty firefighters returned to the station to keep cover in place and were dispatched to two other emergencies while the rescue was underway. The union says halting call-backs in those situations would leave no one at the station and delay responses.

The NZPFU says it has asked for an independent inquiry into FENZ’s capability and capacity, including whether current funding is being used for frontline protection. It supports a separate Parliamentary select committee inquiry into fleet management and related issues, but wants a broader mandate and is promoting a public petition for that.

The union also says FENZ appears to be moving to reduce career firefighter numbers, not replace closed stations — citing Lower Hutt as a concern — and lean more on volunteers or a retained firefighter model. It says recruit courses have been cut and some firefighters trying to return from long‑term unpaid leave have not been brought back, despite a joint working party previously agreeing in principle that 235 additional firefighters were needed to maintain minimum staffing. In September 2024, FENZ denied the basis of those concerns and said it was developing an implementation plan for that recruitment, according to the union.

Separately, the union points to an Employment Relations Authority decision, saying the ERA ruled FENZ breached its legal obligations to consult with the NZPFU and PSA and breached good faith in the way it attempted to push through a restructure announced in November. The union says that means any attempt to force those changes would be unlawful.

The NZPFU has also raised questions about FENZ’s direction after what it describes as a 2024 “financial benchmarking” exercise comparing FENZ with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. At a select committee hearing, CEO Kerry Gregory would not rule out adopting elements of a Scottish model — which includes responding only to confirmed fires — the union says.

The UK Fire Brigades Union has sent a letter of solidarity to the NZPFU. The two unions met last week, with the FBU outlining lessons from more than a decade of austerity in the UK that saw job losses, station closures and fewer appliances.

The union says after it challenged the wording of the station callout email, Ms Stiffler acknowledged it could have been better phrased and would issue a new communication. The NZPFU says it will assess whether FENZ meets its consultation obligations when it sees the revised proposal.