Senior Station Officer (SSO) programme

The role of the Senior Station Officer builds on that of the SO, forming a link between operational and executive officers in much the same way as the SF acts as a bridge between firefighters and operational officers.

The SSO programme will be jointly run through National Training and the New Zealand Institute of Management (NZIM). It will develop leadership and management skills to help participants take the step up to a more senior position.

The NZIM component will involve distance learning and face-to-face courses, while the Fire Service component will be distance learning-based. Following these courses, students will attend a practical course covering co-ordinated incident management and command at a senior level. Assessment of these key skills will be achieved through table-top exercises and computer simulations.

The programme is designed to be completed in about 15 months, but this will vary between individuals.