Section 47C (2) of the Fire Service Act 1975 authorises the New Zealand Fire Service to charge for attendance at a hazardous substance emergency, whether or not that hazardous substance emergency involves actual or suspected fire. Under the Act, costs include the charges incurred in securing contractual assistance or in obtaining supplies of materials required in stabilising or rendering safe the hazardous substance emergency.

Fire Service Charges

The charges are aimed at recovering some of the costs of the Fire Service response given, and should not be considered a fine.

Hazardous Materials are specifically exempted from Fire Service Levy and given the number of incidents, it is appropriate that some of the costs involved with the incident be recovered by the NZFS. The costs of attendance are outlined in the Schedule 7.2. of fees. A new schedule of fees will apply from 1 Jul 2011. In addition to these costs, the Act provides that the costs of materials used or destroyed in dealing with the incident may also be charged

Hazardous Substance Charge Administrator

The decision as to whether or not to charge is determined based upon the advice of the region in the first instance, Once a decision is made to charge, an invoice is created and sent to the customer. The Administrator for Hazardous Substance Charges is located at NHQ in Wellington and deals with initial enquires and the invoicing of charges.

Contact details are:
Phone 04 496 3661
Fax 04 471 1791