Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) is expected to suggest sweeping changes to its organisation and some jobs to go, but to safeguard firefighters, in a deepseated change proposal due out on Wednesday.
"Redundancy will be a last resort," chief executive Kerry Gregory told FENZ's 3000 paid personnel in an update last week obtained by RNZ.
"We will not be offering voluntary redundancies. Fire and Emergency is committed to retaining valuable skills and experience wherever possible."
FENZ is looking to cut costs and save $50 million a year, as well as reset itself for a future of rising demand from not just fires but the likes of big storms, documents showed.
FENZ told RNZ it was an internal consultation and would only be released to its own people for feedback. It would not comment on any proposals while this was underway, through to 17 December.
It has 15,000 personnel all up - 12,000 volunteer firefighters, about 1800 paid firefighters, and 1200 or so corporate, admin and support staff.
It had earlier promised no change to frontline firefighter numbers or to what it responds to, whether fires, medical emergencies or flood rescues - though Gregory had also told staff, "We can't keep doing everything for everybody".
RNZ revealed last week that the restructure of the $800m-a-year agency was being drawn up by Gregory, with a proposal that gave two weeks for feedback, and with final decisions due before Christmas
"This change is looking at the whole organisation and how we operate, but frontline firefighters and ComCen call takers will not be losing their jobs as part of these proposals," he said in the November 4 'town hall' with staff.
"I can reassure you that no one will be losing their job this side of Christmas.
"I do acknowledge that uncertainty will exist for anyone whose roles are confirmed disestablished when the decisions are released."
FENZ had already disestablished 11 positions, and set up six new roles, for a total loss of five roles, in the first phase of the reset - but some of those people were retained "so they could be part of the talent pool" following the more major, second phase being embarked on now.
"This is setting us up to become a more effective and efficient organisation that can deliver on our goals."
"In this phase, we are working across the organisation to ensure the functions and branches can deliver the organisational changes we believe we need to make," the notes of Gregory's 'town hall' with personnel last week said.
"We deliver our services right across the whole country so how we deliver those services needs to be factored into any final decisions."
The new structure would be stood up around March and April.
"We are hoping anyone disestablished will be looking to secure a new roles in the organisation in the first instance."
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