<\/p>\n
“The call comes in. A siren woops across the quiet firehouse. The Scania fire truck rumbles into life and<\/p>\n
sirens blaze. The call is for an MVA (motor vehicle accident) has occurred, a man is stranded and in peril.<\/p>\n
The 4 firefighters at the Silverdale, Auckland station were in the truck quick as a flash, everyone in their<\/p>\n
designated seats, every one focused, every one professional. 5 minutes before they were attending to<\/p>\n
various tasks: Qualified Firefighter Kevin McCartney was refilling the breathing apparatus cylinders,<\/p>\n
Qualified Firefighter Becky Wood was handling some paperwork, Senior Station Fire Officer Jake<\/p>\n
Kennedy was on the phone and Senior Firefighter Dean Olsen was cleaning his gear.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “We’re like a coiled spring. When you go, you go, but when it’s quiet you’re alert, but relaxed”. says McCartney, a recent<\/p>\n addition to this station which is manned by 4 full-time firefighters and some 35 volunteers. “No point<\/p>\n burning yourself out trying to be alert all the time, you can’t do it”. On the truck it’s like watching a<\/p>\n choreographed scene: the fire-retardant jackets come on effortlessly, marks of soot, ash and oil around<\/p>\n the FIRE RESCUE sign emblazoned large on the back. The gloves slide on, the overall trousers go over the<\/p>\n standard issue navy uniform and the impression is that they’ve done this 10,000 times and this is so<\/p>\n routine for these guys that they’re on autopilot. “How do you do that so fast?” I ask Olsen who’s seated<\/p>\n behind the driver, he just smiles at me as he’s pulling up his Skellerup boots as he listens to more<\/p>\n information crackling out of the radio up front.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n McCartney on the radio with dispatch<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n This type of call is regular. The actual putting out of fires is thankfully a slim minority in a firefighter’s<\/p>\n workload. As people become more educated about fire hazards and smoke alarms become more<\/p>\n prevalent, the outbreak of major fires is a lot less than it used to be- in 1985 there were 7 fatal-fire<\/p>\n injuries in NZ workplaces, in 1997 that number was zero. Senior Station Officer Jake Kennedy says that<\/p>\n the majority of a firefighter’s workload is out in the community checking smoke alarms, giving talks in<\/p>\n school educating kids on fire safety and on what to do in case of a fire, helping people who have had a<\/p>\n MVA; installing smoke alarms, liaising with NGOs to implement efficient and safe fire protocols in new<\/p>\n builds. “We’re a service, we’re part of the community and we’re here to help” he says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kennedy has been a fireman since the 1970s. He saw an ad proclaiming the NZFS as having the highest<\/p>\n job satisfaction rate of any job in the world, and based on that he signed up. And is it true?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senior Station Officer Jake Kennedy<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n “Absolutely.This is the best job in the world” and what makes it so good? He gazes out the window thoughtfully for a<\/p>\n moment, turns back and says “there’s a bit in there about helping people you know? Being a people<\/p>\n person and wanting to assist other people when they’re in trouble. And then there’s the camaraderie,<\/p>\n I’ve never seen anything quite like it. There are the elements of excitement, but it’s always about<\/p>\n helping people”. These sentiments are echoed by the other full time staff at the station. Being a fire<\/p>\n fighter is not about the money, the glory, or the prestige, it’s about doing good for the community we’re<\/p>\n all a part of.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Firefighter Kevin McCartney<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n McCartney, who became a firefighter 3 years ago after serving in the NZ Army, says “I was<\/p>\n looking for something different, I couldn’t sit behind a desk all day. I need to be doing something… when<\/p>\n I joined the job I really enjoyed helping people and getting that satisfaction from helping people”.<\/p>\n Fire fighting is a profession that has changed dramatically over recent years and is shifting still. As fires<\/p>\n become less and less frequent through education and a more safety-conscious society the NZFS is<\/p>\n adapting their role to also become medical first responders to provide medical care until the paramedics<\/p>\n or ambulance crews can arrive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Becky Wood, the youngest firefighter in the station at 27 is also a trained<\/p>\n medical responder: “I’ve been on more medical calls than anything else, and as we get better and better<\/p>\n trained there will probably be a lot more… We’ll turn up to jobs and the ambulance crews love us as we<\/p>\n can attend to the CPR and first aid while they attend to the more severe injuries”. Becky Wood is also<\/p>\n the only woman on the crew amidst a changing landscape in the Fire Service which is shaking off its old<\/p>\n stereotype of the ‘Old Boy’s Club’. McCartney explained the benefits of having a diverse workforce: “It’s<\/p>\n a great asset to have a woman on the crew as sometimes, women relate better to her than they do to<\/p>\n us.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senior Firefighter Dean Olsen<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The NZFS has been undergoing a change in terms of its image to try and recruit more women, more<\/p>\n Maori, more Pacific Islanders, more Asian firemen to better represent the community. “Same for if<\/p>\n you’re Polynesian or Asian… we’ll go to someone’s house or workplace and their English might not be so<\/p>\n good. If you speak Mandarin or Korean or something you can get on their level straight away”. The old<\/p>\n stereotype is fading away to be replaced by a modern, progressive, and inclusive organisation: Kennedy<\/p>\n explains that “for many many years, the service was a male-dominated organisation, however back in<\/p>\n the 90s the Labour government were pushing for a more diverse workforce, across all the services, so<\/p>\n there was a push to recruit more women, Maori, Pacific Islanders and Asians. We now have more people<\/p>\n that can relate to communities better than ever before. We’ve become a lot more community-focused.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As it stands today 10.4% of the NZFS are Maori, around 4% are Pacific Islanders and around 3% are<\/p>\n female. When compared to the 2001 figures of 5.3% Maori, 0.9% Pacific Islander and 0.9% female it’s<\/p>\n clear to see the landscape is definitely changing as the Fire Service stakes its claim at being a leader in<\/p>\n recruitment processes and recruiting from all parts of the community. The recruitment procedure to join<\/p>\n as a firefighter is involved to say the least. Whereas in an everyday employment interview an applicant<\/p>\n would sit with HR, answer questions about their work history and go through the “tell me 3 things about<\/p>\n yourself” routine, the NZFS adopts a multi-faceted approach to recruitment which can take months to<\/p>\n not only test whether an applicant can do the physical work but whether they can function in a group,<\/p>\n take orders, adapt, and spend time in an enclosed space (the fire station) with the same people.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The road to being a firefighter begins with an online application, then there’s a cognitive ability test,<\/p>\n then a physical test ; followed by a practical assessment course. After that comes the formal interview,<\/p>\n followed by medical and security checks. The formal interview is more situational than directly related<\/p>\n to the procedures of fighting a fire. Instead of asking “what would you do if there was a fire in an oil<\/p>\n pan?” the questions are more along the lines of “after a fire is extinguished, a Samoan man is distraught.<\/p>\n What would you do?” questions like this capture applicants off guard and also test how they react to<\/p>\n new information, or unexpected turns of events, which on a call could occur at any second. This also<\/p>\n highlights the awareness possessed by the NZFS of its role and place in a community, it sits within it, not<\/p>\n outside\u00a0it. Once an applicant has been accepted through the testing phase there is a 12 week<\/p>\n training course in Rotorua before going on a 12 month probationary period. This long amount of time<\/p>\n spent working and training engenders a camaraderie and a strong sense of trust between the<\/p>\n firefighters in a crew: “Your crew are your safety. There’s a huge amount of trust… you have to trust that<\/p>\n the other guy’s going to be there. We all buy into it and live up to that trust.” says McCartney. Kennedy<\/p>\n puts another slant on it: “it isn’t just the trust on the calls, it’s trusting them with your life and your<\/p>\n problems. If someone is going through a personal problem, there’s people who will listen and who will<\/p>\n understand”.<\/p>\n![\"firecrew-(15-of-42)\"](\"http:\/\/www.tezmphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/firecrew-15-of-42.jpg\")
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