International best practice in managing the environmental impacts of non-emergency fire and emergency service activities at the office and station levels are identified. A review of the New Zealand Fire Service’s infrastructure and support activities was undertaken to identify how environmental aspects are currently managed. Issues identified relate to the energy and water a fire service uses, the waste it produces, the travel and work patterns it encourages among its staff and the products it buys. Some fire services have made significant progress in greening their operations, including development of an environmental policy, action plans and initiatives for procurement, waste and energy savings. Communications of green concepts was found to be essential to motivate staff, gain their support and encourage cultural change.

Although there is awareness among senior Fire Service staff about the potential for adverse environmental effects, the Commission has taken only limited steps to address such issues. Based on overseas experience there is scope for significant cost savings to New Zealand Fire Service by adoption of energy and resource conservation measures across the organisation. Recommendations are made on measures the New Zealand Fire Service could adopt to mitigate its environmental impacts, including initiating a data collection system for establishing environmental baselines, defining targets and monitoring.