Building visits are undertaken in accordance with the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017.

The purpose of these visits is to obtain information for:

  • operational planning
  • hazardous substances emergency planning
  • emergency evacuation.

These visits provide information that is stored in the Fire and Emergency Station Management System (SMS) building information database. The SMS database provides a risk score for each building based on a risk matrix. This helps us identify at-risk buildings.

If we find that any provisions within Part 1 of the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations 2006 has been breached we will notify the building owner of the problem.

For more significant building non-compliance, we will begin a formal dangerous building procedure to ensure that we meet our legislative responsibilities. We are required to notify the local territorial authority in order that everything possible is done to return buildings to an acceptable level of safety.

Persons deemed competent

Part 2 subpart 6 of the Building Act 2004 deals with dangerous buildings. As a part of that statutory regime territorial authorities can request advice from members of Fire and Emergency who are notified to territorial authorities by the Board of Fire and Emergency New Zealand as competent to give such advice.

Under section 121(2) of the Act, it is advised that the following members of Fire and Emergency are competent to give advice under section 121 of the Building Act 2004:

Fire Te Hiku

Craig Bain Advisor Risk Reduction
Gary Beer Senior Advisor Risk Reduction
Simon Davis Manager Fire Engineering
Glenn Menzies Community Risk Manager

Fire Ngā Tai ki te Puku

Lynda McHugh Senior Advisor Risk Reduction
Stuart Cradock Senior Advisor Risk Reduction
Peter Hallett Senior Advisor Risk Reduction

Fire Te Ūpoko

Bruce Cole Senior Advisor Risk Reduction
Matthew Crabtree Advisor Risk Reduction
Michael Finucane Advisor Risk Reduction
James Firestone Fire Engineer
John Hotter Advisor Risk Reduction
Bob (Robert) Palmer Senior Advisor Risk Reduction
Russell Postlewaight Senior Advisor Risk Reduction

Fire Te Ihu

Mike Gaskin Advisor Risk Reduction

National Headquarters

Colin Clemens Research and Investigation Unit Specialist
Peter Gallagher

Research and Investigation Unit Specialist

Ian Duncan National and International Response Manager
Todd O’Donoghue Risk Reduction and Investigations Manager
Luke Burgess Senior Policy and Capability Specialist
Darren Aitken Senior Risk Reduction Policy and Capability Specialist