Update

GPS-based Dispatching

Issue date:
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National news
Sector advocacy

The UFBA is aware of concerns being raised about the introduction of GPS-based dispatching for call-outs and that there are some misinterpretations of the intentions of this FENZ project.

On behalf of our members, the UFBA Membership Advisory Panel and Management have been working with FENZ for several months on proposals and ongoing consultation. We seek an agreed and consistent application of the system across the country to focus on the best protection for communities and eliminate any local bias.

At the UFBA Brigade Rep meeting with our CEO, this project was introduced, and a discussion was held on the concept of technology being used to attach the nearest appliance to the call, taking away from the geographic anomalies in the old fire district boundaries or inconsistent local response policies set by areas.

We would like to assure our members that the system will not be switched on until the National Manager Communication Centres is confident there will be minimal impacts on brigades and the community.

The current plan is to implement the GPS-based dispatch sometime next year however, no set date has yet been identified because some fine-tuning of the system is still required.

As with any project and new system, there will be ongoing reviews to ensure its efficiency for brigades and communities.

UFBA Brigades Reps will have the opportunity to discuss local considerations and existing backup rules at the next online sessions planned for Monday 4 (Te Hiku), Tuesday 5 (Nga Tai ki te Puku, Wednesday 6 (Te Upoko), Monday 11 (Te Ihu), and Tuesday 12 (Te Kei).

National Manager Communication Centres, Gavin Travers is attending all the UFBA Brigade Rep online meetings with our CEO, to address any concerns or answer any questions from our members. We encourage Brigade Reps to attend these important meetings and discuss with their brigade any questions they may want to raise. Gavin is keen to explain why this change is coming and will walk you through some of the examples they have discovered while preparing for this change.

If other members would like to send their thoughts on this project directly to us, please email connect@ufba.org.nz.