John MacDonald: Another kick in the guts for our volunteer firefighters

I’m glad I’m not a volunteer firefighter. Because, if I was, I would be brassed-off that an attempt to get volunteer firefighters the same ACC cover as full-time firefighters has gone nowhere.

A petition calling for the change has been rejected by a parliamentary select committee because it doesn’t want to set a precedent. The committee is trotting out all the usual platitudes but the fact remains that volunteer firefighters have just had another kick in the guts.

A bit of background: Katherine Lamont from the Queenstown volunteer brigade started the petition after another volunteer developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but couldn't get any help because he’s a volunteer.

That’s because volunteer firefighters don’t get the same ACC cover and benefits as full-time firefighters. Which means if they suffer from any mental health issues because of their firefighting work, or if they get some kind of gradual injury from their firefighting work, or develop cancer because of their firefighting work, they can forget about any ACC entitlements.

Whereas, full-time firefighters get all of that covered.

Which is so wrong. Especially when you consider that volunteers make up 86 percent of the front-line Fire and Emergency New Zealand workforce and are often first responders in emergencies.

In 2023, volunteer firefighters responded to callouts for 70 percent of all motor vehicle crashes, 71 percent of all medical emergencies and 81 percent of vegetation fires.

That’s according to Katherine Lamont from the Queenstown brigade who saw how much of a rort this is and started the petition to try and get a better deal for the volunteers.

But Parliament’s education and workforce committee has said no. Because it doesn’t want to set a precedent - because it doesn’t think it’s practical for all volunteers to get ACC workplace coverage.

The committee says: "While we are sympathetic to the petitioner's arguments, we are concerned about the precedent that extending ACC cover to volunteer firefighters might set.”

I don’t buy that for a minute. Because is the committee saying that, if volunteer firefighters got full ACC cover, then we’d have people doing meals on wheels demanding the same?

So that’s what the committee says about its reason for rejecting the petition. Then the weasel words start: “We would like to take the opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who volunteer for this important and challenging work."

Do me a favour!

Heartfelt gratitude would be recognising these people properly. Telling them that, if their “important and challenging work” means one day they find themselves suffering from PTSD, or some other serious injury or cancer because of that "important and challenging work”, then they will be looked after.

That would be “heartfelt gratitude”.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News Talks AB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I'm glad this morning. I'm very glad this morning that
I'm not a volunteer firefighter because if I was, I
would be brassed off. I would be livid, absolutely livid
that an attempt to get volunteer firefighters the same ACC

(00:34):
coverage as full time firefighters has gone nowhere. A petition
calling for the change has been rejected by a Parliamentary
select committee. Why is that? Because it doesn't want to
set a precedent. They're trotting out all the usual platitudes,
but the fact remains that volunteer firefighters have just had

(00:57):
another keg in the teeth and I'm very pleased I'm
not one of them. But a background to all this
Catherine Lamont from the Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade. She started
all this petition after another volunteer developed post traumatic stress
disorder was diagnosed with it, but couldn't get any help

(01:19):
because he's a volunteer. Because the volunteer firefighters don't get
the same ACC coverage and benefits as full time firefighters
do the same thing, don't they, which means if they
suffer from many mental health issues because of their firefighting work,
or if they get some sort of gradual injury from
their firefighting work or develop cancer because of their fire

(01:42):
fighting work, they can forget about any entitlement to ACC.
How wrong is that? Whereas full time firefighters all of
that covered, which stinks, absolutely stinks, especially when you consider
that volunteers make up eighty six percent of the front
line fire and emergency New Zealand workforce eighty six percent

(02:05):
and are often the first responders and emergencies. Here are
some more numbers for you in twenty twenty three, so
it is the most recent numbers, and twenty twenty three
volunteer firefighters responded to call outs for seventy percent, seventy
percent of all motor vehicle crashes, seventy one percent of
all medical emergencies, and eighty one percent of vegetation fires.

(02:29):
Those numbers came from Catherine Lamont from the Queenstown Volunteer FIBERGAD.
She was a person who saw how much of a
rat this is, this lack of ACC cover for the volunteers.
She saw how much of a raught it is, and
she started the petition trying to get a better deal
for the volunteers. But Parliament's Workforce or Education and Workforce

(02:50):
Committee has said no. They received the petition, but they've
said no because they don't want to set a precedent,
because they don't think it's practical for all volunteers, all
volunteers to get acc workplace cuver. You see, they're panicking
about all volunteers, not as worrying about the firefighters. And

(03:12):
the committee says, quote, while we are sympathetic to the
petitioner's arguments, we are concerned about the precedent that extending
ACC cover to volunteer firefighters might set. Now I don't
buy that for a minute, because you know, as the
committee saying that if volunteer firefighters got full a sea cover,
we'd have people doing meals on wheels demanding the same.

(03:35):
So that's what the committee says about its reason for
rejecting the petition. Then the weasel words come into it.
Quote we would like to take the opportunity to express
our heartfelt gratitude to all those who volunteer for this
important and challenging work. They do me end quote, do
me a favor heartfelt gratitude if they were serious. Would

(03:57):
be recognizing these people properly, telling them that if they're
quote important and challenging work means one day they find
themselves suffering from PTA or some other serious injury or
cancer because of that important and challenging work, then they
will be looked after. That would be heartfelt gratitude. But instead,

(04:21):
these people on call twenty four hours a day put
themselves through all sorts of stuff that most of us
couldn't stomach, and they do all that knowing that there
is danger involved. They do all that, but we can't
provide them with the same ACC cover as their full
time colleagues. It's it just stinks. I'll find another word

(04:45):
as we work through the hour, but that's what I think.
But how do you feel about Parliament saying no to
volunteer firefighters getting the same ACC coverage and benefits as
full time firefighters? How do you feel about that one?

Speaker 1 (04:56):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
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