Fire and Emergency training collaboration set to improve quality assurance

by Featured NewsTraining

Fire and Emergency training collaboration set to improve quality assurance

Te Pūkenga and Fire and Emergency New Zealand forge partnership

Te Pūkenga is collaborating with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to enhance the quality assurance and professional development in their training programmes.

While many are familiar with Fire and Emergency as a crucial response service, it’s also pivotal to note that they play a vital role as a training provider.

The organisation provides two accredited programmes from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and an additional three hundred separate unit standards to its members.

As per a recent news update, this new collaboration aims to ensure that these training programmes are of the highest standard.

Dr Megan Gibbons on the importance of quality in Fire and Emergency training

“Quality assurance and continuous improvement are the cornerstones of maintaining the highest standards,” states Dr Megan Gibbons, the Deputy Chief Executive – Academic Centre and Learning Systems at Te Pūkenga.

Te Pūkenga, through a recently signed agreement, is set to offer post-moderation services from now until July 2024.

This agreement encompasses over 9,000 results for about a thousand learners, ranging from volunteer firefighters to communication centre workers.

Dr Gibbons emphasised the national network’s capability, stating that it enables Te Pūkenga to cater to Fire and Emergency, an organisation with specialised requirements.

Striving for excellence in training and development

Janine Hearn, Deputy Chief Executive People, believes this alliance is a significant stride towards enhancing the organisation’s training quality assurance systems.

She added: “We remain confident that our training meets high standards. Support from Te Pūkenga will bolster our assessment and moderation processes, ensuring both our personnel and all New Zealanders remain assured of its quality.”

Taking the lead on this initiative is Careerforce | Te Pūkenga, a division known for its extensive experience in quality assurance and professional development.

Their previous accomplishments include a significant assessment for the Ministry of Health from 2017 to 2020, examining learning outcomes’ equivalencies for healthcare certificates.

Reflecting on their past achievements, Careerforce Executive Director Rod Bentham commented: “The pay equity work showcased our capability to manage large, intricate evaluation projects.”

He also expressed eagerness about the upcoming collaboration, stating: “We are keenly anticipating our work with Fire and Emergency and its assessors.”

IFSJ Comment

The collaboration between Te Pūkenga and Fire and Emergency New Zealand marks a significant advancement in the realm of Fire and Emergency training.

With an emphasis on quality assurance and professional development, this partnership is poised to set new standards in training practices.

Leveraging the strengths of both organisations, this alliance ensures that personnel receive top-notch training, fostering not only their individual growth but also ensuring the safety and well-being of the New Zealand community.

Auckland accommodation reveals fire safety concerns, according to council study

by Building ManagementConstructionFeatured NewsHealth and SafetySafety

Fire safety gaps found in Auckland’s budget lodgings

A concerning number of budget accommodations in Auckland are showing gaps in their fire safety measures, according to a recent study by Auckland Council.

Council’s findings on fire safety

Auckland Council’s inspections team discovered issues in approximately 50% of the 170 buildings they inspected.

This inspection was prompted by a tragic fire incident at Loafers Lodge in May, which drew attention to potential fire hazards in similar accommodations.

Two of these buildings were severe enough to warrant a dangerous building notice.

Furthermore, another 80 displayed various fire safety concerns such as exits blocked by rubbish or improperly used smokestop doors.

Jeff Fahrensohn, the Auckland Council inspections manager, commented: “It was a surprise how many low-cost accommodation providers had fire safety deficiencies.”

He noted the building managers’ and owners’ apparent lack of knowledge on fire safety as a significant concern.

Details of the safety lapses

While compromised alarm systems weren’t an issue in the inspected properties, 40 to 50% showed other deficiencies.

The two most concerning buildings, which each housed between 50 to 100 residents, had problems like malfunctioning emergency lights and obstructed exits.

However, they continue to operate with added security measures.

Fahrensohn assured that if any building posed an immediate threat, they would’ve evacuated it.

Interestingly, these two properties had passed their previous audit without any noted issues.

Other buildings with concerns had issues like blocked exits, which were promptly addressed.

Legal and future implications

By law, the responsibility of maintaining safety systems lies with the building owners.

They are mandated to perform routine checks and undergo regular expert building warrant of fitness audits.

Fahrensohn stated the need for more education on this matter but also affirmed, “we’ll escalate to enforcement where we have to”.

Of the 170 buildings investigated, 13 were under further scrutiny by the council.

Meanwhile, the government has a list of 70 similar buildings nationwide, but Auckland Council has already audited those in its region.

As for the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) initiating a separate audit, Fahrensohn mentioned they’re still awaiting communication.

IFSJ Comment

The findings from Auckland Council’s study highlight a broader concern.

The evident gaps in fire safety knowledge among building managers and owners in such a major city like Auckland suggest that similar oversights might be prevalent elsewhere.

Routine checks and audits are crucial.

However, this case underscores the importance of continuous education and awareness about fire safety standards and regulations.

The role of governing bodies, industry leaders, and the community at large becomes imperative to ensure the safety of residents in such accommodations.

Two fire stations open in Mid-South Cantebury

by Featured News

Fire and Emergency National Commander Russell Wood officially opened two new fire stations in Mid-South Canterbury on Saturday.

Rangitātā Gorge Volunteer Fire Brigade, which was established in the 1980s, never previously never had a facility and had to store the appliance where there was space, taking turns hosting training at each other’s homes and storing equipment in a 20ft container.

The new 146-sq m fire station is a $1.25 million new build comprising an appliance vehicle bay, operations room/training room, decontamination and ablution facilities. It also has a water storage tank, PPE storage, exhaust fume management and off-road parking.

Peel Forest Volunteer Fire Brigade was the first rural fire unit in the South Island when it was established in 1954. The updated 200-sq m station is a $1.26 million new build to replace their old, concrete block facility. It comprises of an appliance vehicle bay, support vehicle bay, operations room/training room/ kitchenette, decontamination and ablution facilities, PPE storage, exhaust fume management, water storage tanks and off-road car parking.

The brigades were originally set up to protect the property and environment both within the Peel Forest village and in the upper reaches of the Rangitātā Gorge. Both stations will serve as bases for search and rescue in what is a high-use area for the general public with a range of recreation activities such as rafting, hiking, hunting and jet boating.

Russell Wood commented: “Both of these brigades hold an important role for the small, rural communities they serve, and these new stations will ensure these two brigades will be able to continue to serve the needs of these communities.

“They also form part of the wider region surge capacity for a larger-scale incidents.

“For Rangitātā Gorge in particular, I’m pleased the brigade will be able to park the appliance in a purpose-built facility that fits all their equipment and that they have space to come together to train, connect and serve their community.”

National Emergency declared in New Zealand as Cyclone Gabrielle hits North Island

by Featured News

New Zealand declared a National State of Emergency on Tuesday for the third time in its history as Cyclone Gabrielle pounded the North Island with wind and rain and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes.

The New Zealand Meteorological Service reported wind gusts of over 140 kilometers per hour (87 miles per hour) were recorded along the coast, with waves close to 11 meters (36 feet) high off the Bay of Islands.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters: “With an event of the size and the scale that we have seen in the last 24 hours, what we have to do is make sure that we’re dealing with the most pressing needs across the country as quickly as we can.”

This cyclone is the third national state of emergency after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and Covid pandemic in 2020, and is due to a weather system off the country’s north that is tracking south and east along the coast.

Air New Zealand canceled all domestic flights to and from Auckland Airport – around 55 — for the remainder of Tuesday due to strong winds.

Auckland firefighter staff-shortages at ‘crisis point’

by Featured News

The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union said that the staffing issues in the Auckland fire department has reached a crisis point.

The union made the comment after over the past weekend there were 23 gaps in firefighter coverage, including five fire trucks out of commission due to no staff and several more short-staffed.

The union’s Auckland local secretary Martin Campbell said there has been a lack of investment over the past 10 to 15 years and that now it was hitting rock bottom. He said: “We’ve had no significant increase in the number of career firefighters in Auckland since the 1980s and early 90s, in fact Auckland is less than half the number of career firefighters per capita than the rest of New Zealand.”

On Saturday in Tāmaki Makaurau, there were 98 firefighters on during the day, 20 percent fewer than usual, looking after the region’s 1.7 million people, Campbell said.

“If stations are unstaffed or closed down because we haven’t got enough firefighters, other stations have to respond from longer and further away, it takes longer for Fire and Emergency to get fire trucks to emergency incidents,” he added.

Fire and Emergency region manager Ron Devlin made a comment of reassurance to the community, however, that the service had the capacity and planning in place to respond to emergencies.

“We have capacity built into our capability to allow for coverage on any given day should appliances be committed to large fires or when we routinely take trucks off service temporarily for several reasons – including training our people and maintaining our fleet,” he said in a statement, explaining that fire and emergency has been impacted by staff absences due to Omicron.

He added that

Fire and Emergency New Zealand recruited for career firefighters twice a year and it received applications from many quality candidates: “In fact, we are currently running an additional recruitment for Auckland only, which opened on 1 April and will close on 15 May, with the objective of filling an additional 15 to 20 roles.”

PT Hydraulics Australia become an exclusive distributor for the full range of IDEX fire products

by Passive

PT Rescue, a division of PT Hydraulics Australia, has announced that they are the Exclusive Distributor for the full range of IDEX Fire products into selected states & territories of Australia and New Zealand. This portfolio includes the following world-leading brands:

  • Akron Brass – a worldwide leader in the supply of high-performance firefighting, and emergency response equipment, including nozzles, monitors and valves
  • Alco – Manufacturing Monitors in Germany since 1871. The product range covers stationary and fixed operations, for applications such as vehicles, ships, manufacturing plants and mine sites
  • AWG – a leading manufacturer of mobile and stationary fire protection systems and waterway equipment
  • Godiva – the leading provider of firefighting pumps for fire services worldwide. PT’s product range only includes Godiva’s range of Portable Pumps
  • Hale – a worldwide marketer and manufacturer of high-performance firefighting pumps and fire suppression equipment. PT’s product range only includes Hale’s range of Portable Pumps
  • Weldon – design and manufacture of state-of-the-art lighting devices and customized electrical control solutions to a wide range of industries

The company’s exclusive distribution territory covers the ACT, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and New Zealand.

PT Rescue remain committed to supporting our customers with the highest level of service in the industry and look forward to bringing these exciting products to market.

For more information please visit: www.pthydraulics.com.au