Fire service rebranded

From July, the New Zealand Fire Service will join the country's rural fire authorities to form Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

The changes came after a number of improvements were identified in the 2015 Fire Services Review.

Improvements included greater co-ordination within and between fire services, more consistent leadership and a more cohesive culture across urban and rural areas.

It also canvassed volunteer and paid firefighters, and a reliable funding mechanism that would remove the complicated and inconsistent funding arrangements for rural fire services.

The new name was chosen to better represent the variety of emergencies firefighters are responding too, such as motor vehicle crashes, medical emergencies, hazardous materials spills, storms, floods, earthquakes and a wide range of rescue situations.

New Zealand Fire Board chairman Paul Swain said this would also allow funding to better support volunteers who make up 85 per cent of the force.

"It's important that we are well funded, well co-ordinated and unified."

The new organisation will present further career opportunities for staff, including vegetation fire management, enforcement and support and the development of more rescue, medical and hazmat specialists.

"From Saturday, the law is also changing to recognise the reality of the work our firefighters do in their communities. This will mean firefighters will be funded for all their work - not just firefighting," he said.

"We're bringing more than 14,000 people from 40 different organisations into one so everyone has equitable access to funding, equipment and the support they need to meet their community's needs."

There would be no disruption to service and responding to emergencies would still be there number one priority, he added.

The Palmerston North Fire Station will host a celebration to commemorate the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Changeover, July 1 from 7pm. All are welcome.