TVNZ Sunday to expose Firefighters' hidden sacrifices

Posted 13 Oct '19 under National

Professional career firefighters put their health and lives on the line every time they respond.

In addition to the obvious physical risks of working with fire, in confined spaces and hanging off cliffs and high-rises to perform rescue, there are other prevalent insidious hazards that many do not realise.

Tonight’s TVNZ Sunday programme will preview their documentary on professional career firefighter’s hidden killers of occupational cancer and mental trauma.

A wealth of international research has demonstrated the nexus between the high incidence of specific cancers and professional career firefighting. Professional Career Firefighters have between 30% and 110% higher incidents of specific cancers as a result of their repeated exposures to a cocktail of carcinogens at structure fires. The research shows that despite professional career firefighters maintaining their health and fitness, because are being regularly exposed to house and other structural fires regularly they have extraordinary rates of specific cancers.

The NZPFU is campaigning for an amendment to the Accident Compensation legislation to ensure occupational cancer is recognised so that professional career firefighters can access medical assistance and compensation as they would if they were burned or injured in a fire.

The repeated exposures to trauma is also taking its toll.

Professional career firefighters are co-deployed with ambulance to calls where the patient is no longer breathing of in an immediate life threatening condition. While more people are being saved with the deployment of professional career firefighters to medical calls, we risk losing more firefighters through depression, anxiety and post traumatic injury.

The TVNZ Sunday programme has been filming professional career firefighters talk about their cancer and mental health issues as well as those that are deeply concerned what the future holds for them.

Tonight’s TVNZ Sunday programme will preview the full story which is scheduled to air next Sunday. Keep up to date at facebook.com/SundayTVNZ/

In unity,
Wattie Watson
Secretary

Christchurch Local Committee Officials

15 Sep

Nominations are hereby called from Union Members for Local Committee positions as below.

ELECTRONIC BALLOT FOR TAURANGA AND KAWERAU MEMBERS ONLY

11 Sep

In 2007 the NZPFU and NZFS signed the attached Tauranga Kawerau Amalgamation document grandparenting conditions for those employed in the district and setting out transfers and travel terms and conditions.

In recent years the Tauranga and Kawerau Locals have been meeting with FENZ management to resolve matters affected by the 2007 agreement and the attached 2025 document has been drafted as a result.

TIMARU LOCAL SECRETARY DECLARATION AND CALLING FOR TIMARU LOCAL PRESIDENT NOMINATIONS

10 Sep

At the close of the notified nominations period one nomination for the position of Timaru Local Secretary has been received.

I therefore declare Jeremy Gaskin as Timaru Local Secretary.

As a result there is the Timaru Local President position is now vacant.

Nominations are now called for the position of Timaru Local President.