Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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.
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)
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.
As of four days ago (June 20 2009) there is no funding for “this kind of work”.
Paul McGill
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
We do not have all the answers to the way forward, we have ideas, a sketch, and a starting point.
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
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.
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.
John Lovell
Jane Peraid
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.
Participants were asked to vote on the three most important ones to focus on at meeting, the selection
was:
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.