Introduction

Dear Minister, Members of Parliament, staff and volunteers of New Zealand's fire services and stakeholders. We present the New Zealand Fire Service Commission's Statement of Intent for the period 2009 to 2012. This statement describes the overall outcomes the New Zealand Fire Service Commission (the Commission) seeks to achieve in terms of protecting people, their property, the communities of New Zealand and the environment from the hazards and consequences of unwanted fires. It sets out the mix of proactive risk reduction, fire prevention and public education programmes along with the range of reactive emergency response services the Commission intends to deliver. It explains the rationale behind the work programmes selected and their intended effect or impact on the current situation. Importantly, the Statement of Intent establishes the basis on which the Commission will account to Government and the public of New Zealand for its performance over the period. The standards against which we will measure the volume, quality, timeliness, value, efficiency and effectiveness of both our proactive and reactive services are set out in detail. We also discuss how we will gauge the actual observed effects of our work against our expectations and how we will assess the extent to which the observed effects and impacts achieve or contribute to the outcomes the Commission seeks. To assist readers understand the scope of the Commission's intentions and their context the statement includes short narrative sections on:

the statutory framework within which the Commission operates
the urban and rural fire operating environments
how the NZ Fire Service and National Rural Fire Authority are organised and managed
the human, physical and capital resources the Commission has at its disposal
the Commission's approach to organisational health, diversity and sustainability
how New Zealand's fire services rate against comparable services in overseas jurisdictions
recent trends in fire fatalities, injuries, property loss and hectares burnt in wild fires.

We draw to readers' attention a significant departure from previous practice in this Statement of Intent. For the first time the Commission describes the New Zealand Fire Service interventions in many classes of non-fire emergency and the contribution these interventions make to social outcomes. The Commission does not have the statutory responsibility for reducing the incidence of these non-fire emergencies. Central government and local communities, nevertheless, look to the New Zealand Fire Service as the agency best equipped and trained to intervene in emergencies as diverse as motor vehicle extrications, floods, storms, collapsed trench rescues and irrespirable atmosphere rescues. We trust that the 'non-fire' information contained in this statement will assist readers to gauge the wider contribution the Fire Service makes to community outcomes and to appreciate the added value element of this aspect of the Commission's outputs. The Crown Entities Act 2004 requires Crown entity boards to operate as a going concern on a sustainable basis. The Commission is funded nearly 100 percent from a levy on contracts of fire insurance. In recent years the Fire Service levy has provided a stable and growing income base. Given the current external economic environment and the outlook the Commission is conscious of the potential for shocks to its income stream. Accordingly, it has closely interrogated its proposed operating and capital expenditure programmes to ensure every dollar spent represents value to the public and that some financial headroom is available in the event of a dramatic downturn in levy income. We commend the New Zealand Fire Service Commission's Statement of Intent for the period 2009 to 2012 to readers' careful scrutiny. Signed on behalf of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission.

Dame Margaret Bazley,
DNZM, Hon DLit
Chairperson
27 May 2009

Angela Foulkes, ONZM
Member 27 May 2009