FIRE POLICE

In the 1990s NZ Fire Service Executives began formally permitting the establishment of 'Operational Support' firefighters; that is, personnel attached to volunteer brigades who were 'Operational' (hands-on at at incident, instead of just back-office or administrative functions) but who had a 'Support' function. These Operational Support firefighters picked up the support roles that Fire Police covered in other areas, or indeed other non-firefighting functions as dictated by local requirements. Doing so allowed those Firefighters to concentrate on their particular area of expertise and made better use of the available manpower. From a legal standpoint, Operational support slotted straight into the delegated powers of the Chief Fire Officer (per Section 28 of the Act) without requiring signoff by Police or swearing as Constables... operationally, the roles of Fire Police and Operational Support were essentially the same, with the latter only lacking the power of arrest - a power rarely..

Primary location: Palmerston North New Zealand