A shortage of volunteer firefighters is raising concerns at some stations in West Auckland and the North Shore.
Poor recruitment yields and high drop-out rates are sapping the strength of units that use some of the 750 volunteer firefighters in the Auckland region.
Fire Service regional commander Paul McGill saidyesterday that most units were coping well and operational capability was not affected.
Volunteer crews boosted paid firefighters at key stations in Waitakere, North Shore and Manukau Cities.
But the region was also short of about 60 paid firefighters, said Mr McGill.
It could take until the middle of next year to recruit and train enough professionals to regain full strength.
Waitakere City chief fire officer, Bill Ellis, said the volunteer strength was well below the 200 people considered desirable. Hardest hit by the volunteer shortage was the Glen Eden Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Mr Ellis said that over the past three years the brigade twice had to suspend volunteer operations while additional people were recruited and trained because of crew safety concerns.
On Monday night, he had called in the officer in charge of the brigade to discuss how to resolve "ongoing difficulties in maintaining operational efficiency."
"We have 13 volunteers at Glen Eden but not all of them are qualified to ride on the machine yet. We need 20 and there has not been that many for a few years."
The brigade, established in 1948 as a purely volunteer effort, moved to a mix of paid and volunteer firemen in 1974.
It has two fire engines and attends between 600 and 700 calls a year.
In North Shore City, volunteers are needed for Devonport, Birkenhead and East Coast Bays, to supplement paid staff.
North Shore fire chief Denis O'Donoghue said the shortage was not causing operational difficulties. However, he said last Christmas was the first time he could recall volunteer rosters being so tightly planned.
Manukau City has so far escaped the concerns shared by the fire chiefs of Waitakere and North Shore.
Stations say it is harder now for residents to join up because so many of them do not live in one area for long. Pressure on spare time for duties and training has also caused people to drop out.
Mr McGill said sharper recruiting tactics would be tried. One hope was The Year of the Volunteer, starting in December, which would draw attention to volunteer work.
