New Zealand Fire Service
The mission of the New Zealand Fire Service is to reduce the incidence and consequence of fire, and to provide a professional response to other emergencies.
Organisation
With around 10,000 personnel and 450 fire stations throughout the country, the New Zealand Fire Service provides a large resource of personnel, equipment and expertise that can be utilised in a variety of emergency situations.
SAR Role
There are many instances, especially in rural or remote locations, where fire service personnel have actively assisted at search and rescue incidents.
The New Zealand Fire Service also operates a number of urban search and rescue squads, whose primary role is in the area of victim extrication from collapsed building structures. However the personnel and equipment may be used to assist in the retrieval of search and rescue victims from situations of entrapment in isolated locations, such as downed aircraft in mountainous terrain.
Go to www.usar.govt.nz/usarwebsite for further information about the New Zealand Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue teams
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