Whanganui fire station attended almost as many non-fire related incidents last year as actual fires.
Figures obtained by the Wanganui Chronicle reveal the true nature of officers' work as the service is overhauled for the first time in 40 years to reflect the "dramatically" different service it provides.
The New Zealand Fire Service, National Rural Fire Authority, and more than 40 Rural Fire Authorities are merging in a $300 million transition to form a unified organisation - Fire and Emergency New Zealand - from July 1, 2017.
This included Whanganui fire station, and is an attempt to bring the service into the 21st century, said the fire service's chief executive and national commander Paul Baxter.
The fire service's current legislation dated back to 1975 - much of which was carried over from the 1940s - and doesn't reflect the modern challenges it faces, Mr Baxter said.