Firefighter fairness petition presented

A petition to change ACC eligibility for volunteer firefighters has been handed over at Parliament.

Firefighters and members of the United Fire Brigades’ Association (UFBA) gathered outside Parliament yesterday to hand over The Fighting for Fairness petition, which has 36,000 plus signatures, to opposition ACC spokesperson Camilla Belich.

Belich then presented it to the House on Thursday afternoon.

The 36,000 New Zealanders who signed the petition want volunteer firefighters to receive the same ACC coverage as their paid counterparts.

Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade secretary, Katherine Lamont launched the Fighting for Fairness petition in March this year after watching colleague Peter Ottley, Kingston's former volunteer fire chief, struggle with post-traumatic stress (PTSD) disorder.

“He attended a really distressing call out and after that the PTSD set in. He was unable to work and had no financial support. I witnessed the impact this had on his life, and I had to do something,” Lamont says.

“Volunteers are not covered for mental trauma or gradual workplace illness through ACC because they are not paid. That’s not just unfair, it’s a failure to recognise what our volunteer firefighters endure.”

Lamont says she could no longer stand back and watch other volunteer firefighters suffer as a result of their community involvement

“Every day, volunteer firefighters stand together with their paid colleagues, facing the same trauma, and the same risks. But when they’re injured or suffer mentally because of that service, they’re treated differently.

“Changing the legislation would acknowledge the incredible contribution of this special group of people. Volunteer firefighters give so much of themselves to this role. This change would give them the support they deserve. When they need help, help needs to be available."

Ottley spoke out in the hope other volunteer firefighters wouldn't have to go through the same struggles.

Ottley is not the only one who's been left high and dry by the legislation.

Kelly Bennetto has seen first-hand the impact having no ACC support can have on a loved one who is a volunteer firefighter serving their community.

Her dad, Ian Bennetto, was a Thames Volunteer Fire Brigade volunteer when a call out to a car accident resulted in him contracting Hepatitis C after handling a patient in 1991, a time when there was no cure for the disease.

“What followed was years of failed experimental treatments and drug trials. He was forced to take time off work from his drain laying business and suffered financially as a consequence,” Bennetto says.

Ian Bennetto turned to ACC and the Fire Service for support and while ACC accepted that the accident happened, he was told he wasn’t entitled to support because he was not paid by the fire service.

Pironga Volunteer Brigade firefighter Jodi Reymer who is a full-time farmer in Te Awamutu, says the work volunteer firefighters do can impact their whole lives and jobs, something that deserves more recognition.

“We’re doing the doing the same jobs and we need the same support,” she says.

UFBA Board Chair Hon. Peter Dunne says volunteer firefighters are driven by a selfless commitment to their communities, and their role often goes unseen and underappreciated.

“The UFBA fully supports Katherine’s petition as it aligns with the UFBA’s years of advocating for this important change for volunteer firefighters. We are delighted to hand this over to Camilla Belich, to present this to parliament” Hon. Dunne said.

“Volunteers make up 86 per cent of the Fire and Emergency frontline workforce and are the first responders to most emergencies across 93 per cent of the country’s land mass.

“They are our farmers, teachers, retailers and tradespeople who answer the call to duty, leaving their daily lives behind to face emergencies head-on, sometimes at great costs to themselves, their families and their employers,” he says.

“It’s clear volunteer firefighters deserve the same protection as their paid counterparts. The 36,000 Kiwis who signed Katherine's petition have sent our politicians a clear message that shouldn't be ignored."