Minimum Shift Manning Agreement

Reached

Expressions of Interest for Temporary

DCFO Positions

On Saturday 7 May, Howick 321 rode a firefighter short.

Auckland Management is still failing to maintain M.S.M. The remedies that have been circulated by Regional Manager McGill have done little to solve this serious problem.

His inept management of this problem is about to be further exasperated by the removal of three S.S.O’s into temporary D.C.F.O. positions.

The Auckland Local advises those S.S.O’s who are thinking about expressing an interest or have actually expressed an interest, to withdraw them and not apply for these positions.

Last week I discussed the Hours of Work Policy with the NZPFU. The Union was concerned that, as a result of a rigorous application of the 76-hour limit, minimum shift staffing (MSS) had recently been affected on a small number of occasions in Auckland. Each of these occasions happened during the weekend.

I accept that MSS is a measurable standard for guaranteeing consistency of service to the public and safety of operational crews and should therefore be maintained wherever practicable. However, there are other considerations that must be balanced alongside MSS, these include limiting excessive hours of work.

In our discussions with the Union, we examined data on the rate of sick leave and USL absences, and in particular the days of the week upon which these absences occurred. In a number of locations there was a noticeable pattern, especially in relation to USL absences. The rate of absences on weekend day and night shifts was often significantly higher than other days of the week. This increased demand for callbacks, coupled with a traditional difficulty in arranging callbacks on the weekend, explained why it was sometimes not possible to identify a replacement within the 76-hour limit.

The Union assured me that they do not condone abuse of sick leave entitlements in general, and would cooperate with reasonable efforts to address any such abuse on an individual level. With this assurance, I have decided to modify my instructions as follows:

• The limit on hours of work will remain 76 hours, with the exception that a Chief or Deputy Chief Fire Officer may approve an extension to this limit when MSS would otherwise be affected. This authority may not be delegated and may only be exercised when the CFO or DCFO is satisfied that no other alternative is available.

• In approving an extension beyond the 76 hours, the factors set out in the existing policy must be considered and the relevant Fire Region Manager advised in writing. If a firefighter or officer is authorised to exceed 76 hours, they may not under any circumstances exceed this level again for the following 21 days.

• I expect that Senior Firefighters will continue to act up to address officer vacancies.

The Union/Management Working Party on Hours of Work is due to meet again on 17 March 2005. I anticipate that they will make recommendations to me on a permanent policy shortly after this meeting.

Mike Hall
Chief Executive/National Commander

National Commander Loses Control,

Newlands Revisited

The Fire Service denies planning deep cuts to fire engine numbers after National yesterday released a list which it said showed 90 engines are for the chop and another 126 are being downgraded.

Leaked information centres around cuts in rural areas and small provincial towns.

The Union is currently pursuing more information as to what is planned to occur in larger brigades and has requested under the Official Information Act full disclosure of this documentation.

A statement made by Minister Burton said there was "no agenda" to reduce appliance or service coverage anywhere. 

This "service coverage suggestion" obviously doesn't cover the situation where running trucks below minimum safety manning is consistently and deliberately happening. 

The Service's operations director Steve Turek, said "There are no plans by the Fire Service to reduce services and appliances in communities."  Again, this statement obviously doesn't cover the situation where running trucks below minimum safety manning is consistently and deliberately occurring.

Management are already placing your safety and the public's safety at risk without the possibility of further cuts to coverage.

Your National President and Secretary are meeting with the National Commander this morning and will be seeking some clear assurances on this situation.

Read More on this issue:
Minister gives reassurance about Fire Service...
National releases list of fire engines under threat...
NZ Herald Gallery of NZPFU Articles...
Letter sent to Chief Fire Officers "Quashing the mis-information about rural fire services being cynically circulated by some opposition politicians" (25 February 2005)
Northland Commander confirms government intimately involved in Fleet Strategy Review
NZ Herald's Rod Emmerson: Fire Service reviewing fleet needs

On the above date, Fire Region Manager McGill issued Region Notice No. 12/2005 which in it confirmed that since the 76-hour limit was introduced there have been six shifts when the Fire Service was unable to maintain MSM in Auckland:

The Union disputes McGill's creativity with the numbers and has clear evidence that there is a significant number of more times where Minimum Safety Manning has been reduced.  The long standing custom and practice of minimum safety manning is 1 Officer and 1 Firefighter on each specialist appliance and 1 Officer and 3 Firefighters on every pumping appliance - anything less than that is not maintaining Minimum Safety Manning Levels.

Website embarrassment makes great

gains

The actions of the NZPFU Website have helped out the Auckland Local, the safety of Firefighters and the public of Auckland.

What we now understand is that turnouts are to be enhanced. This will result in Auckland Firefighters always getting a turnout which takes into account the reduced crews that are responding in Auckland.

It is still disappointing that Regional Management are prepared to compromise the long standing custom and practice of minimum safety manning levels and will continue to run appliances down.

International Media Turn

Spotlight to NZ PUBLIC Safety

Price of petrol just too great for Hutt

District

From: Mike Houghton
Sent: Tuesday, 22 February 2005 10:34
To: Hutt District - All Officers
Cc: Peter Bean
Subject: Issue of Call backs.

Gentlemen

As of this date no call backs required to meet the minimum shift manning within the Hutt fire district are to be issued to personnel from Masterton fire district, without the prior approval of the CFO or in his absence the DCFO Hutt fire district.
 
regards mike

Wellington also Under Attack

Wellington local members are advised that we are under attack also. We too have CFO’s and Regional Managers that do not value MSM and as a result are willing to put fire-fighters and public in danger due to short crewing.

Regional Manager Butzbach has indicated to this local and others, that he does not believe in maintaining the MSM of the Greater Wellington Brigade. He is it seems quite willing to allow appliances to ride short and or to ride with Station officer unqualified SFF’s. This in itself appears to be contrary to the requirements of riding in charge of an appliance and the terms and conditions laid out in the collective in respect officer qualifications.

It seems to this local that FRM Butzbach and others wish for a return to the days of the miserably failed CST initiative where no one was qualified to ride anything.

Members are advised that this local has had an agreement that dates back to 2002 (NTM 09/02) and states “that in the event of extreme shortages and if no other option at all exists the on call CFO/DCFO is to be contacted. The on call CFO/DCFO has the authority to make a decision to allow available personnel to work the required shift” … “ the member should in essence be stood down from routine duties for the 3^rd shift.”

Therefore, until further advised, this is the local’s stance, no other agreement has been reached with management and given early indications from them, it is unlikely we will reach further agreement. This is mainly because there is a huge gap between what this local sees as important i.e. maintaining MSM for everyone’s safety and managements cut price fire service where fire-fighter safety is second to cost cutting.

Meet the Hadiya Family from Pakistan

It was to be the holiday of a lifetime for the Hadiya family of Lahore, Pakistan.

Art & Raza Hadiya and their immediate family had saved for months for their South Pacific vacation. Their second eldest son, Raju (front left) helped his Ma & Pa plan the trip with the assistance of the internet. The young spark, of a third generation Lahore family, is now considered a life-saver by his parents for stumbling across this NZPFU website.

Flying all the way to New Zealand was to be too bigger risk for the family and they couldn't be more grateful for the online warning their son uncovered.  It was this safety message for tourists that ruined the holiday - but it was a warning that eliminated all risk for this loving family.

Raza privately emailed the NZPFU telling us his story.  In his email he says it was the risk to public safety that changed his mind on Auckland. His email described his liking to Auckland, the City of Sails, but said the risk to him and his family was simply "too great to gamble with".

Raza and Art are disappointed that their safety is no longer of paramount importance to the NZ Fire Service. They say their children are also saddened at the fact their safety would have been compromised if they had landed in Auckland. At the end of the day they say it's better to be safe than sorry, and that's why they're staying put in Pakistan.

• During the year to the end of March, tourists spent an average $3256 while in the country, up 9 per cent from the average of just under $3000 they spent over the previous year. Total spending by international visitors increased by $635 million, or 13 per cent, to $5.5 billion over the year, according to figures compiled by Tourism New Zealand. Over the same period visitor numbers increased by 5.8 per cent to 1.95 million. It is too early to say what effect the Fire Service Public Safety Crisis will have on the 2005 overseas visitor figures.

Further incompetent management adds

to Auckland's Crisis

A lack of clear leadership from Regional Manager McGill, and creative interpretation by Vince Arbuckle, Director of Human Resources, was not going to prevent Senior Firefighters from being able to attend Station Officer exams today.

To all members it is clear that you are not able to work (paid New Zealand Fire Service employment) between your night shifts, without a required break.

Obviously Vince Arbuckle does not value Senior Firefighters and you can see (from his email attached) he has redefined paid employment which should, in fact, reduce the M.S.M. crisis in Auckland. “…I note that attendance at the examination is voluntary and that the time is not classified as duty hours for the purposes of normal overtime payments.”

This can only mean that any and all voluntarily accepted paid employment within the Fire Service is not classified as duty hours and therefore not included in Hours of Work.

All Blue Watch staff who were booked off one of their night shifts in order to sit the Station Officer papers will not be repaying that shift.

• What are you (CFO) doing to maintain MSM?

• Do you (CFO) find it acceptable to have your appliances undermanned?

• Will you (CFO) find it acceptable to take an appliance off the run when you (CFO) will not maintain MSM?

• Will you (CFO) find it acceptable to replace an appliance taken off the run because you (CFO) will not maintain MSM, with a Volunteer crewed appliance from a composite or other Volunteer Station?

• With a S/FF riding in charge who may or may not have SO qualifications, who is in charge on the first alarm in his (S/FF) First Pump area when Station Officers arrive on the fireground? Who is responsible?

• Do you (CFO) find it acceptable to have a S/FF (partially qualified as Station Officer) riding in charge of an SSO appliance/station? If yes is the answer, ask how the Command and Control function of an SSO is to be enacted on the fireground by a S/FF.

• If any member of a short-crewed appliance is injured on the fireground, will you (CFO) accept responsibility? If not, who will be held responsible?

• If any property is damaged unnecessarily because of the appliance being short crewed, will you (CFO) accept responsibility? If not, who will be accountable?

• If any member of the public dies because short crewing prevented Firefighters from doing their job safely, will you (CFO) accept responsibility? If you (CFO) will not, who will be held accountable?

Rosters' Function Handover to CFOs

On Saturday 22 January, Brigade Management were prepared to compromise your personal safety when they prevented Roster Officers from enacting the process laid down in the Hours of Work Policy in order to assess if the only remaining staff who were able to work but would have exceeded their hours in doing so, could work and thereby maintain MSM.

This is unacceptable to the Auckland Local and its members. While Roster Officers and their assistants have been putting in long hours with many, many phone calls to staff to cover absences, and have been working to adhere with the policy, Management, it seems, is less willing to give those staff full control over achieving the goal of maintaining full MSM.

All operational Roster staff are directed by the Auckland Local to complete coverage of lost shifts up to and including Tuesday 25 January 2005 day shift 0800 – 1800. At 0800 on Tuesday 25 January 2005 they are to deliver electronically or in person all records, templates and materials used to carry out the functions of the Roster Departments, to their respective Chief Fire Officers.

No staff currently trained or untrained in this function will accept delegation as Roster Officer on receipt of this notice.

Hours of Work

Members will be aware of the recently distributed whole country e-mail regarding hours of work.

It would appear that in most localities throughout the country a reasonable, sensible and flexible approach has been taken to manage hours worked which is the intent of the policy in any event. 

However in Auckland the Regional Manager, Paul McGill, has directed action, which has resulted in the cancellation of all non-operational activities by operational members other than the operational staffing of appliances.

Such cancellations have effected:

SMS, Line and PCA Training. Recruit assessment. Volunteer and Industrial training. Accident Investigations, BA Maintenance, BA Hydro Testing, Phase Course Instruction and placed restrictions on pump and driver courses.

In addition there is the serious intention of disestablishing appliance manning on a day to day basis to supposedly accommodate the hours of work policy.

Mr. McGill insists that the basis for such action is motivated purely and simply by health and safety concerns related to hours of work. However when the Auckland Local pointed to examples of local volunteers exceeding the policy recommendations the Regional Manager declined to take any similar action against them.

The Auckland Local has also advised the Regional Commander that only 9 Watch Officer (excluding Relievers) vacancies out of 103 positions exist throughout the Auckland Brigade and no crises exists that requires the cancellation of non operational work or course participation. Despite this Mr. McGill has declined to rescind his rigid instruction to Auckland Chiefs.

Ironically it is those Auckland Chiefs who have are compelled to work an on call roster that often exceeds even the flexible recommendations in the hours of work policy but Mr. McGill is not concerned with this fact either.

Despite members being ready and available to undertake non-operational work in Auckland the Auckland administration are seeking only members from other Regions to undertake these duties. 

Given the factual reality of the situation, no staffing crisis exists in Auckland that compromises the Hours of Work policy.

No staffing crisis exists in Auckland that requires the disestablishment of crewing for any appliance for any length of time.

In addition the Auckland Local has offered to set up a working party on agreed terms of reference to resolve outstanding issues related to the hours of work policy.

Clearly then Mr. McGill’s instructions are motivated by budgetary restraints.

Although he denies this, it is self-evident.

Therefore members in other Regions are strongly advised to decline any invitation to participate in any non-operational activities in the Auckland Local area and if asked should consult their Local Secretary.

Auckland Local members are available to undertake this work.

In addition members are strongly advised to terminate any activity where Auckland Local members would otherwise have participated but have been excluded due to Mr. McGill’s financial dilemma and his stated intention to reduce MSM in Auckland by decommissioning trucks.

To this end Members are advised of the initiatives taken by other members from other Regions recently whilst attending a Fire Risk Management conference in Rotorua.

Upon being advised that two Auckland members (Marke Neville and Graeme Quensell) had been denied participation at the conference, for the dubious reasons outlined above, 8 members (Graeme Gilroy Invercargill, Steve Shackleton Nelson, Phil Hynd Wellington, John Hotter Wanganui, Ian Wright Wellington, Bruce Irvine Christchurch, Roy Hoogenrand Timaru, and Stu Craddock Taupo,) ceased any further involvement with the conference.

All members will appreciate the solidarity shown by this group to those affected members.

Members should refer to Auckland Local Notice of 31 October for further information. National Committee will be formalizing a national recommendation on Monday pending any development on the agreed terms of reference and the makeup of the Hours of Work Working Party, which the Fire Service is planning to implement in the near future.

Big Boys Toys and their Hours of Work

Firefighters whilst off-duty will have to spend the $16 adult charge themselves this weekend if they want to spread the Fire Safety message at Big Boys Toys.

Because of the extreme risk and danger of a Firefighter falling asleep or falling over whilst on duty, the Fire Service has cancelled the chance to promote Fire Safety at the Greenlane Show Grounds this weekend. 

CFO's will remain on call 24/7, but Firefighters have been banned from "building safe communities" alongside the Arena...

• Big Boys Toys & Hours of Work - the full story exposed!

Hours of Work Policy

Members will be aware of the Chief Executive’s recent whole country e-mail regarding Hours of Work.

In Auckland the Regional Management has chosen to take the approach of rigorously enforcing the 72 hour time requirement and are choosing to ignore the overall policy and sensible aspects of the procedure, which has seen a common sense approach to its implementation and operation for at least the last four years.

During this period the Union is not aware of one single example of employee fatigue occurring causing a problem, or any incidence of an investigation to be undertaken from a Health and Safety point of view.

The Auckland Local has met with Brigade Management for long periods on both Wednesday the 27th and again on Saturday the 30th October. Unfortunately, Brigade Management has refused to accept a number of options that the Union has put forward in an effort to have a system in operation which would allow fire appliances to remain on the run and not restrict unreasonably, members’ ability to have stand-ins and undertake additional overtime shifts on a voluntary basis.

Management in Auckland have stated that the 72 hours will be a complete cut off for duty hours, and when this occurs they will require staff to be stood down from duty and appliances put out of commission. Obviously the commitments given in the past few years regarding appliance manning have proven baseless, and in Auckland, Management is happy to reduce the service to the community, etc. etc. So much for providing a professional response to fire and other emergencies?

In an effort to monitor your hours of duty they intend to introduce a new system in Auckland and only Auckland. The proposed new system is known as the Duty Hours Schedule. Essentially this system requires individual roster staff to record hours worked for each firefighter or officer, i.e. stand-in and overtime shift and any project work and training activities.

Once this information is recorded, members undertaking rosters will be required to ascertain whether or not an individual can work either an overtime to maintain Minimum Shift Manning (MSM), or undertake any stand-ins.

This system is based around a six-day cycle and includes the inappropriate figure of 72 hours. The 72 hours and the six-day cycle is a hangover from the “CST” regime and is totally inappropriate in terms of our current shift system.

• Read the Full Auckland Local Notice to Members

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