Community backs volunteer firefighter
Kingston's former fire bridge chief Peter Ottley says he's overwhelmed by the support he's received since revealing his struggles with ACC.
Ottley, a volunteer firefighter for 13 years, was diagnosed with PTSD after attending an horrific fatal crash just before Christmas.
He's taken time off from his regular full-time job with Carters as he recovers from the psychological impact of what he saw at that crash and more than a dozen other serious incidents over the years.
But when he asked the insurer for financial support, his claim was denied as ACC will only cover mental injury claims if they are related to an incident at paid work, or to a physical injury.
Ottley spoke out in the Lakes Weekly Bulletin two weeks ago, with the aim to highlight the fact New Zealand's nearly 12,000 volunteer firefighters are not covered psychological trauma.
And he says he's received a phenomenal amount of support from his community, his employer, doctor, FENZ, and the wider Queenstown community.
"It's been overwhelming really, in a good way," Ottley says. "We've had people down the street cooking us meals for instance, and one of the farmers dropped off a cubic metre of firewood. There's been lots of support from people I've spoken to and also online.
"Hopefully it raises some awareness and the rules can be changed. We know how it works and that nothing will happen in the short term, but sometime in the future maybe it will help to get volunteers covered."
Charlie Le Couteur, founder of the local branch of firefighters motorbike club Red Knights, called Ottley personally to offer his support, donating $500 from club funds to help him out.
Carters have also agreed to keep his job open until he returns, which means he'll qualify for the company insurance scheme, which will cover 75% of his wages for two years, after three months of sickness.
And his doctor has written to FENZ and directly to the (now former) ACC Minister Andrew Bayly, who told LWB two weeks ago there are "currently, there are no plans to extend ACC’s work-related cover to include volunteers".
His doctor says the rule that ACC will only cover a mental injury claim for volunteers if linked to a physical injury "seems perverse and obstructive logic".
"As you are currently responsible for the ACC portfolio I seek your support to get this injustice fixed for my patient, and for the many other selfless and brave Kiwis working in this role," the doctor's letter reads.
Meanwhile, FENZ regional wellbeing advisor Kris Kennett says the organisation is also pushing for change, both for volunteers and paid firefighters.
"There's a whole lot of ACC legislation we're trying to get changed, along with the United Fire Brigades' Association and others," Kennett says. "It's historic and needs to be corrected, like it has been in other places, such as Australia.
"One issue is ACC is not recognising the accumulation of trauma, they basically want to see one single event that has caused significant trauma, but that's just not realistic. We see horrible things on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. They're also not recognising secondary trauma, for our call centre staff for example."
Kennett says he's seen significant change over the past three years in attitudes towards mental health, though, both within FENZ and New Zealand as a whole.
"The mentality of 'suck it up', 'carry on', 'she'll be right', has changed across organisations and culture. It is more acceptable to reach out for help. That takes vulnerability," he says.
"The easy option is shutting up and not doing or saying anything. That used to be seen as tough, but that's not strength. It takes real strength to talk to others, and to check on each other."
