The jobs of 99 paid and 115 volunteer Dunedin firefighters will be secure despite a nationwide merger of more than 40 fire entities, a New Zealand Fire Service manager says.
"If there's uncertainty in terms of people's employment then it's been guaranteed there are no issues there,'' fire region 5 manager David Guard said.
No discussions had been held on whether numbers eventually would be cut by not replacing staff who retired, he said.
Fire region 5 extends from the Waitaki Valley to Stewart Island.
In April, East Otago area commander Laurence Voight was reported as saying it was unclear whether there would be restructuring and job losses but he was confident firefighters would keep their present roles.
The Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill, which passed its first reading in Parliament last week, will create a new entity, Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
It will replace the New Zealand Fire Service, the National Rural Fire Authority and more than 40 rural fire services to create a single organisation.
Efficiencies would be gained through the merger rather than personnel change, Mr Guard said.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) is due to come into existence on July 1, 2017.
Mr Guard said there was a ‘‘general positivity'' among stakeholders about the changes.
United Fire Brigades Association of New Zealand president Russell Anderson said he expected after the changes it would be business as usual for most firefighters.
"Whether they are paid or volunteer, the siren will go, they will still do the job that they're engaged in their community or enrolled in their community to do.''
The changes, which included expanded functions such as call-outs to road accidents, natural disasters and medical emergencies for the new organisation, were about modernising the Fire Service, he said.
There was now a greater role for the Fire Service in emergency response and fire prevention.
"We're now getting new legislation to protect and provide a mandate for the situations we are working in.''
Mr Anderson said while he was confident the legislation would protect firefighters in their work environment, some were uncertain about operating within a large corporate structure.
"They also need to know that they're not going to get dragged into the big corporate and just be a number,'' he said.
The merger would also create 12 to 15 local committees, which caused a "degree of nervousness'' because it was unknown who would serve on these committees and whether they would have technical knowledge of fire and other emergency services.
"Those people haven't been appointed so we don't know who we're dealing with.''
Mr Guard said the local committees were intended to provide locally informed advice to guide the decision-making of Fenz.
Mr Guard said while the geographic boundaries of the local committees had not yet been confirmed, it was a "reasonable assumption'' Southland and Otago would each have a local committee.
The Star contacted several Dunedin rural firefighters but they were unwilling to comment on the changes.
