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Overview

The following are brief notes from the NZ-RT Team Leaders Meeting held at the Ministry of Civil Defence
and Emergency Management, Wellington, Saturday 4 July 2009.

These are not official minutes, which will hopefully come out in the upcoming weeks.

Items in Italics are my comments or views, not those of the speakers.

Shane Briggs
Rescue Manager
Rescue Emergency Support Team (NZ-RT4)
Palmerston North, NZ

John Hamilton
Director of Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management
John was the first speaker of several in the morning who were to paint a picture of where we are to date.

Expectations

 Define roles/tasks
 Structure/accountably
 Training programme
 Resources

The Framework has been adopted; it is not open for discussion. Today is to discuss what can and can’t
be done.

Teams need to move away from response to readiness because of connection to community.
(By readiness, he meant education)

The director’s role is to “help the helpers, help”


Alan Walker

Manager CDEM Development, Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency


Management

2002 CDEM Act is about dissolving responsibilities to communities through the CDEM Groups

In the beginning of Response Teams (2003), MCDEM had $380k for the first 3 years to establish teams
(NZ-RT1, NZ-RT2 and NZ-RT3)

By 2008 NZ Fire Service provided most of the USAR capability and NZ-RTs provided CDEM response.

 Little use of RT’s in USAR


 Not efficient use of a limited resource
 Lead to unrealistic expectations
 Formation of RT’s need to mirror the local needs/gaps
 Opportunity for integrated framework

As of four days ago (June 20 2009) there is no funding for “this kind of work”.

MCDEM’s role is to facilitate/coordinate responsibilities.

Paul McGill

Director Operations & Training, New Zealand Fire Service

There are 305 Volunteer brigades in NZ; about 100 of those do less than 10 calls a year.

The NZ Fire Service has about 450 response teams (response units / brigades).

The New Zealand Fire Service is set up for isolated events, fire, accidents. We get caught out during
snow events, storms and other CDEM events. We have to go to MIPs mode, there is a gap in wide scale
events, and they can’t cope.

Same as USAR, it’s a stretch for us. Have to pull staff off shifts which is expensive, and does not leave
much residual capacity. Virtually never called but have to be prepared because of the severity when it
does happen.
Jim Stuart-Black

Special Operations Manager, New Zealand Fire Service

We do not have all the answers to the way forward, we have ideas, a sketch, and a starting point.

There have been six task force deployments to date.

We only work on maximum credible scenarios, not worst case scenarios.

We have not done risk analysis as models are too immature to be reliable.

Response Teams that will have MOU’s with NZ Fire Service will need to be self sufficient, resupply
options, food, fuel, ablutions, water treatment, etc

Identifying Teams

 Hazard/risk vs. time of response


 Composites & individuals
 Sustainability of support
 Developmental – start small and grow to meet the need
 Oversight by NUSARB

May draw from multiple teams, not just one team. Individual people will be named and will create a
new composite USAR RT

All current USAR Technicians are NZ Fire Service permanent Fire Fighters, except for three of them.
There are not full time USAR staff

Expectations

 Speed – regional proximity, 2 hours to get to Task Force base, 2 hours to deploy from there
 10-16 per Response Team (preferably 14-16)
 Recognising capabilities within current teams
 Self funded teams (no support for equipment such as tents and ablutions)
 Meet with teams, things have changed, need to people
 Gap Analysis

After saying how teams will be chosen, he went on to announce which teams have already been chosen.

Composite team in Christchurch.

Composite with NZ-RT3 (Waitakeri) and NZ-RT5 (North Shore).

Nelson (NZ-RT2) – used as a transit point between islands.


NZ-RT9 (Upper Hutt Community Rescue) and Hutt City Council Emergency Response Team form a
composite team due to risk. Victoria Rescue not considered because they are a business team.

Timelines

Looking for feedbacks from those teams in two weeks with yes or no, then start negations.

Want to have teams integrated in time for March-May exercise which includes overseas teams so he can
have things signed off.

 Task Force required to do 72 hours of individual skills every 12 months


 24 hour exercise each year
 Every two years a large multi Task Force exercise is run

John Lovell

Regional Emergency Management Advisory, Ministry of Civil Defence and


Emergency Management

 MCDEM will maintain / manage guideline


 Establish and maintain website
 Provide support through Regional Emergency Management Advisors
 Update Core Skills through Competency Framework

Jane Peraid

Professional Development Advisor, Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency


Management
Drill down from Competency Framework to Functional Role Mapping completed by October 2009

 Need to know what teams do


 Will create new standards where required
 Will create new packages if required

Teams need to provide input and help as they know what they do.
Issues

The group was asked to identify the big issues that needed to be addressed to go forward.

 Need for Guideline (suite of documents)


 Timelines & accountabilities
 Registration
 Clear understandable roles and functions
 Responsibilities / communications
 Levels of support
 Consultation with sector/ ownership
 Update on General Rescue
 Better definition if “Group” and “Team Owner”

Participants were asked to vote on the three most important ones to focus on at meeting, the selection
was:

 Need for Guideline (suite of documents)


 Registration
 Consultation with sector / ownership

Discussions were held on each topic and written on the whiteboard. Hopefully these will be available
later. The main point is that the Working Group will return to working in the Guideline which is now due
out in October. Christine joins the Working Group as a replacement for Steve Manson who has lef r
Christchurch City Council, however he remains on as an Emergency Management Officer for New
Zealand Red Cross.

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