Why is no one talking about Firefighters?

[Wainuiguy]

Professional firefighters are presently on a limited strike but there has been virtually nothing in the media about this.

Some stats which may surprise many:

Most of the trucks in the fleet are older than 15 years, in some cases as old as 40 years
Frontline firefighters are paid at the lower end only $48000 per year
Many admin staff are Fire NZ are paid more than Frontline firefighters, in many cases significantly more
Managers at Fire NZ are paid the same as their counterparts in Australia yet Frontline firefighters are paid 40% less than their Australian counterparts
Firefighters were offered a 1.75% payrise over 2 years

See more at #firecrisis

[king1]

sadly, they are just one of many demographics that are seriously underpaid in NZ - it must be a bit difficult to stand out in that environment when competing for attention with say healthcare workers...

[Praktica]

They shouldn't worry - Luxon will ensure they get a fat tax cut...if they are rich enough.

[Wainuiguy]

They shouldn't worry - Luxon will ensure they get a fat tax cut...if they are rich enough.

How about they just get a decent level of pay?  A new firefighter gets just over the minimum wage for base salary.  Their contract expired over 400 days ago.
Currently there are no ladder trucks available from Waikato to Tasman so rescues in fires in buildings over 3 stories are not possible.

How many Police cars do you see that are 16 years old?

[Oldfellah]

No one in the media is going to go against the government who are paying their bills, so if the government say "dont mention the fire fighters"they wont.

[harm_less]

Professional firefighters are presently on a limited strike but there has been virtually nothing in the media about this.

Some stats which may surprise many:

Most of the trucks in the fleet are older than 15 years, in some cases as old as 40 years
Frontline firefighters are paid at the lower end only $48000 per year
Many admin staff are Fire NZ are paid more than Frontline firefighters, in many cases significantly more
Managers at Fire NZ are paid the same as their counterparts in Australia yet Frontline firefighters are paid 40% less than their Australian counterparts
Firefighters were offered a 1.75% payrise over 2 years

See more at #firecrisis

Worth noting that firefighters have very high levels of cancer due to the environments they're exposed to so their pay issue also links to healthcare funding. There's only so much money in the nation's coffers so how do you propose prioritising what funds go where?

You might also want to put a link into your post as the hashtag reference you've used is essentially useless without a hyperlink. Using firecrisis in a twitter search routes to the Victoria AU firefighters protest.

[Wainuiguy]

Professional firefighters are presently on a limited strike but there has been virtually nothing in the media about this.

Some stats which may surprise many:

Most of the trucks in the fleet are older than 15 years, in some cases as old as 40 years
Frontline firefighters are paid at the lower end only $48000 per year
Many admin staff are Fire NZ are paid more than Frontline firefighters, in many cases significantly more
Managers at Fire NZ are paid the same as their counterparts in Australia yet Frontline firefighters are paid 40% less than their Australian counterparts
Firefighters were offered a 1.75% payrise over 2 years

See more at #firecrisis

Worth noting that firefighters have very high levels of cancer due to the environments they're exposed to so their pay issue also links to healthcare funding. There's only so much money in the nation's coffers so how do you propose prioritising what funds go where?

You might also want to put a link into your post as the hashtag reference you've used is essentially useless without a hyperlink. Using firecrisis in a twitter search routes to the Victoria AU firefighters protest.

Try typing it into this thing called Google.  Works a treat.
And yes firefighters do get cancers more than other occupations - however FENZ refuse to even acknowledge it even though WHO have  confirmed it as fact.

I guess if you are on the 4th floor of a building on fire in Wellington unable to get out you can sit back and think "well at least the health service is better funded"

[Lilith7]

I found a few links.

https://www.fireandemergency.nz/news-and...-increase/


https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4722...-low-wages

"Firefighters are set to strike in two-weeks time, after the Union rejected the latest pay offer from Fire and Emergency.

The one-hour strike will take place between 11am and 12pm on the morning of 19 August, and again on August 26.

Professional Firefighters Union secretary Wattie Watson told Morning Report they might not have enough volunteer firefighters to cover the strike period.

"We are hoping in mediation next week that we will be able to resolve the situation but that is a possibility that for an hour FENZ will have a very limited ability to respond to fires," Watson said.

The strike would be the first of its kind as while firefighters took similar action 25-30 years ago this would be the first nationwide strike, she said.

"This is a really serious situation and it's taken a lot for the members a lot to get to this point," she said.

FENZ had issued a statement saying there would be contingency plans available to cover the lack of firefighters on call during the strike, Watson said.
"The pay offer is too low... FENZ has removed any offer to pay a base wage increase for 2021 and instead is offering to pay from 1 July 2022.

"It's essentially a three-year deal and for a lot of our members for that three years that will be between eight and 12 percent."

Firefighters and all of the union's members had last received a pay rise on 1 July 2020, she said.

The firefighters also wanted safer systems at work, she said."

[harm_less]

Worth noting that firefighters have very high levels of cancer due to the environments they're exposed to so their pay issue also links to healthcare funding. There's only so much money in the nation's coffers so how do you propose prioritising what funds go where?

You might also want to put a link into your post as the hashtag reference you've used is essentially useless without a hyperlink. Using firecrisis in a twitter search routes to the Victoria AU firefighters protest.

Try typing it into this thing called Google.  Works a treat.
.....

Even better to actually post a link to what you're posting about. I've corrected your OP to demonstrate the practice. You're welcome

[Wainuiguy]

Try typing it into this thing called Google.  Works a treat.
.....

Even better to actually post a link to what you're posting about. I've corrected your OP to demonstrate the practice. You're welcome

Please don't change my posts.  [Removed: Rule 2A].

[king1]

Even better to actually post a link to what you're posting about. I've corrected your OP to demonstrate the practice. You're welcome

Please don't change my posts.  [Removed: Rule 2A]

Moderators are authorised to moderate posts as and when it is deemed necessary. 

You were asked by a Moderator to provide context to your hashtag, so feel free to update the link if necessary...

[Wainuiguy]

Please don't change my posts.  [Removed: Rule 2A]

Moderators are authorised to moderate posts as and when it is deemed necessary. 

You were asked by a Moderator to provide context to your hashtag, so feel free to update the link if necessary...

Did he do it as a moderator or just being a richard?  Asking for a friend.

And the context was all the part before the hashtag.

[king1]

Moderators are authorised to moderate posts as and when it is deemed necessary. 

You were asked by a Moderator to provide context to your hashtag, so feel free to update the link if necessary...

Did he do it as a moderator or just being a richard?  Asking for a friend.

And the context was all the part before the hashtag.

What started off as highlighting a good cause got derailed because you chose not to acquiesce to a simple request for a link to more info...  
Google it yourself kinda comments are just unhelpful for everyone, including yourself when you're trying to promote a cause.

[harm_less]

Moderators are authorised to moderate posts as and when it is deemed necessary. 

You were asked by a Moderator to provide context to your hashtag, so feel free to update the link if necessary...

Did he do it as a moderator or just being a richard?  Asking for a friend.

And the context was all the part before the hashtag.

The change to your OP was done for the convenience of other forum members (to save them having to go hunting the internet in order to validate your post), and it actually supports the argument you're raising by better promoting the firefighters' website.

I consider it bad form to expect forum users to expend effort to investigate the worth of posted content. If you aren't familiar with inserting hyperlinks in your posts (using the 'chain link' icon immediately below the rainbow icon above) we'll be happy to assist you.

[Wainuiguy]

Did he do it as a moderator or just being a richard?  Asking for a friend.

And the context was all the part before the hashtag.

The change to your OP was done for the convenience of other forum members (to save them having to go hunting the internet in order to validate your post), and it actually supports the argument you're raising by better promoting the firefighters' website.

I consider it bad form to expect forum users to expend effort to investigate the worth of posted content. If you aren't familiar with inserting hyperlinks in your posts (using the 'chain link' icon immediately below the rainbow icon above) we'll be happy to assist you.

Well then let's get back to it.

$200 million was spent merging the fire service and rural fire service.  Of the $200 million none of it went into front line equipment.  In fact the Fire Union is trying to find out just where it did go as FENZ went tell them.

[king1]

The change to your OP was done for the convenience of other forum members (to save them having to go hunting the internet in order to validate your post), and it actually supports the argument you're raising by better promoting the firefighters' website.

I consider it bad form to expect forum users to expend effort to investigate the worth of posted content. If you aren't familiar with inserting hyperlinks in your posts (using the 'chain link' icon immediately below the rainbow icon above) we'll be happy to assist you.

Well then let's get back to it.

$200 million was spent merging the fire service and rural fire service.  Of the $200 million none of it went into front line equipment.  In fact the Fire Union is trying to find out just where it did go as FENZ went tell them.

since the fire service is a government department then they would be required to provide financials to the public...
This one from 2021 for example 

https://www.fireandemergency.nz/assets/D...0-2021.pdf

For anything else an OIA request might be in order.

200mil seems a lot for a merger of two similar organisations though