Dunedin will have an hour without the sounds of fire engine sirens when firefighters from around the city walk off the job on Friday.
In August, the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) started nationwide industrial action after negotiations for a collective agreement with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) failed.
Firefighters, who staffed mostly city stations nationwide, would walk off the job between noon and 1pm on Friday, NZPFU Dunedin secretary and firefighter Mike Taylor said.
Walking off the job for an hour was going to be a “pretty sombre occasion”, he said.
During the strike, response times by Fenz would be delayed.
“The brigades that look after the city won’t be responding.
“We still have our neighbouring volunteer brigades and there will be a response, but it will be delayed,” he said.
The negotiations between the union and Fenz centre on health and safety concerns, ageing equipment, staffing numbers and pay.
Mr Taylor said negotiations last week had failed after Fenz refused to meet.
“Nothing had changed and that is the problem … Fenz say the reason they are refusing to negotiate is because we issued a strike notice.”
That was misleading, because as emergency services, they were required by law to give between 14 and 28 days notice of action, and it was a common tactic to get parties to the table in “good faith”, he said.
Fenz deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said the withdrawal of work would be felt in large cities and towns all over the country.
“The action being taken by the NZPFU will also impact our fire communication centres, which will have limited staffing during this time. It is anticipated that calls … will take longer to be answered.”
Hato Hone St John had also been notified that volunteer crews would not be responding to medical calls outside their local areas as they would be covering for city stations with firefighters on strike.
“There will be delays as our volunteer crews will have to travel from further away,” Ms Stiffler said.
She warned the public to “be careful” and not to call 111 and ask for Fenz unless it was a genuine emergency.
Despite “two productive days of negotiations in September” and an agreement for discussions to continue into October, NZPFU had issued a notice to strike, she said.
“Issuing a strike notice, and a substantial escalation in industrial action, in that context is not the action of a party committed to working towards settlement.”
It was clear that for any real progress to be made, a neutral third party would be needed, Ms Stiffler said.