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The NZ Professional Firefighters Union is calling for Silverdale fire station to be staffed with at least one, 24/7 paid crew, seven days a week, saying it is desperately in need of this as the area’s population grows.
Currently Silverdale is staffed with four paid crew (the Yellow Watch), who work Monday to Friday, 7.30am-5.30pm. The Yellow Watch fire fighters are contracted to do four, 10-hour days and can do a fifth on overtime pay, or have that day (as well as the weekend) off.
Silverdale’s volunteer firefighters are available 24/7 during the week as back up, and also cover weekends.
As well as its own callouts, Manly station’s volunteer-only fire crews also provide backup for Silverdale (and vice versa) and further backup can be called in from stations in the East Coast Bays and Albany.
The union’s northern branch Auckland local secretary, Martin Campbell, says the four Silverdale paid crew often has to do a 52.5-hour week to ensure that any gaps in staffing are filled.
“Other areas with a similar population, such as Invercargill and Whanganui, have two or three 24/7 career crews,” Campbell says. “There’s no doubt that the Hibiscus Coast is being short-changed.”
Silverdale’s senior station officer, Jim Maclean, agrees and says that a 24/7 station is inevitable and probably overdue.
“There is general acknowledgment that Silverdale needs a 24/7 paid crew, and that it’s urgent,” Maclean says
He says that the current issue is twofold. First there is the size and growth of the area that Silverdale Fire Brigade covers, and its location in relation to stations that can provide backup. Also key is that during the pandemic, training for paid staff was cancelled or deferred.
“Meanwhile, older officers were retiring in large numbers, especially over the last 3-4 years,” he says. “The retired officers were to be replaced by new recruits, but the holdups with training meant that hasn’t happened fast enough.”
“At the moment there is as much overtime available as anyone could want – and more. All of Auckland’s fire service is under pressure for not keeping up with recruitments. Training is able to go ahead under the red traffic light setting, but we are playing catchup.”
He says there is pressure on the entire brigade because of those shortages – although being one short of a four-person crew on the fire truck, is the exception rather than the rule at Silverdale..
He says vaccination is not a factor as none of Silverdale’s career crew are off duty as a result of the vaccine mandate – something that has apparently had an impact on numbers at some other stations.
Campbell says the union would like to see a proper review of the funding and resourcing of all areas in Auckland.
“We need to look at where massive increases of population have occurred and ensure that those places have the proper level of fire coverage that their residents and businesses deserve – and are paying for in fire levies,” he says.
He says having a 24/7 paid crew, seven days a week would not mean less need for volunteers.
“Silverdale volunteers will always be required to back up career staff. They are unfairly burdened with the level of workload right now and it also impacts businesses, as employers have to release those volunteers when they are needed.”
