<\/p>\n
\nFire crews dealt with two vegetation fires.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Samuel Rillstone\n<\/p>\n
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) is warning that ongoing strikes are putting the public at risk.<\/p>\n
It received 18 calls during Friday’s strike, and 10 cases were in areas impacted by the industrial action.<\/p>\n
Fire crews dealt with two vegetation fires. One was controlled and the other burned out of control, but was stopped within the hour.<\/p>\n
FENZ deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said the continued strike action was unnecessary and dangerous.<\/p>\n
She said union threats to escalate to twice weekly strikes was not bargaining in good faith.<\/p>\n
FENZ expressed similiar concern<\/a> after a fire destroyed a Pakuranga business on 9 January when firefighters a few minutes away were on a notified stopwork for an hour.<\/p>\n Professional Firefighters’ Union national secretary Wattie Watson rejected that criticism at the time, saying FENZ had presented them with a “long list” of types of incidents the union might call off the strikes for, though the action had strict legal parameters around it, including advance notice.<\/p>\n “FENZ is attempting to go behind that notice, and any change that we give them would give them an argument that these notices are no longer valid,” she said.<\/p>\n FENZ and the union have had a long-running dispute over pay and conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n