‘Giving a little’ lift to recovering firefighter Pete Ottley
Fellow local volunteer firefighters have launched a Givealittle page to help support former Kingston Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Peter Ottley, who’s been unable to work after suffering from PTSD triggered by a horrific fatal bus crash just before Christmas.
Ottley, a volunteer firefighter for 13 years, has been off work recovering from the psychological impact of what he saw at that crash, near Kingston, and more than a dozen other serious incidents over the years.
Queenstown Fire Brigade secretary Katherine Lamont launched the page yesterday and says Pete and his family declined a similar offer several months ago but “it’s been going on too long”.
“It would be life-changing if we could lift the financial burden and allow Pete and his family time to heal,” she says on the page. It wasn’t the first tragedy he’d witnessed, but Lamont says this one had “hit hard”. “He has needed to take time off work to look after himself.”
Ottley has been denied ACC financial support as ACC will only cover mental injury claims related to an incident at paid work or a physical injury, not volunteers. Ottley courageously shared his story in Lakes Weekly Bulletin last month to highlight that New Zealand’s nearly 12,000 volunteer firefighters are not covered for psychological trauma.
Since then, he says the support has been “overwhelming”. “I didn’t really do it for me but to try and raise awareness about the situation around the lack of support from ACC for all of our 12,000 selfless volunteers,” Ottley says. “We’re out there and doing it for our communities, the response has been heartening, and I’ve been so grateful for the messages, phone calls and support. Humanity really is a wonderful thing.”
Fire and Emergency Queenstown Lakes assistant commander Nic McQuillan says the Givealittle appeal is a wonderful gesture from fellow firefighters and an amazing demonstration of support for another volunteer and his family during their troubled times.
“FENZ is aware of the issue (with ACC) and doing all it can to support people in this situation, including Pete,” he says. “Pete’s situation is relatable for many firefighters and highlights the impact on volunteers.”
* Here's a link to the Givealittle page
