Extreme overtime, financial hardship and mental trauma are the things her husband has to deal with, says a firefighter’s wife.
FENZ staff across the country are currently on strike for better working conditions after mediation talks with FENZ stalled, arguing broken equipment, extreme overtime, no health insurance and poor mental health care among the many issues they face.
Nelson senior station officer Brodie Macgregor is currently taking part in the strike. He has worked as a firefighter for 19 years.
Macgregor’s wife, Alison Watts, said the experience of being married to a firefighter who worked for FENZ was difficult for her.
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Aiman Amerul Muner/STUFF
Senior firefighter and union member Nick O’Brien speaks to The Timaru Herald about striking firefighters.
“It’s hard … I don’t even know where to start.”
Part of this was the overtime her husband worked, Watts said. Although it had initially started as an occasional occurrence, Macgregor currently had to work overtime at least once a week.
Watts said her husband felt a responsibility to work these hours because he was a dedicated firefighter. However, Macgregor was “beyond exhausted” and felt disillusioned with the job he once loved.
“It’s heartbreaking to see him like this.”
Despite the mental and physical costs of working so many hours, the family was dependent on overtime as they found it more difficult to cope with the rising costs of food and living. Macgregor’s wages didn’t reflect this rise at all, Watts said.
“He is underpaid, undervalued and overworked, and something has to change. We can’t go on like this.”
Macgregor said he worked 70-80 hours in Wellington on eight day shifts. In Nelson he works an additional 14 hours a week overtime.
Fry Fastier/Things
FENZ are often the first to arrive at troubling events, including car accidents and emergency medical services. (file photos)
In Nelson, Macgregor’s rent is half his base salary. An entry-level firefighter earns $46,000 a year, which was barely above minimum wage. They earned less than FENZ’s lowest paid administrators.
Macgregor said the most important part of the union action for him was the need for psychological support.
He had attended about 200 emergency medical services a year at his previous job in Wellington, which often involved entering people’s homes and interacting with the patient’s ailing family.
These calls took a psychological toll on the frontline firefighters. Two years ago, a member of Macgregor’s watch committed suicide.
Macgregor had to tell his watch that one of their members had died. The crew received no support from FENZ to deal with this, Macgregor said.
FENZ national deputy commander Brendan Nally said when the member of Macgregor’s guard committed suicide it was a deeply saddening situation.
Nally himself said that he had served with the firefighter and that the time was troubling for everyone involved.
He said support was offered, including visits from Welfare Officers, peer support and individual support for brigade and family members.
“Out of respect for the family, we will not comment further on this situation.”
Stuff/Jericho Rock Archer
Mental health support for firefighters is sorely lacking, say those on the front lines. (This video was first published on June 17, 2022.)
Macgregor said that while psychological support is offered to firefighters, it relies on “ad hoc” referral. There was no ongoing support or monitoring for well-being.
Macgregor associates this with the fact that upper management is unfamiliar with emergency medical services, but remembers the days when firefighters mainly attended car accidents.
“The support is not enough… the front line is crying out.”
Watts said she was kept awake at night by the trauma of what her husband had seen; knowing that he had been called up for murders, suicides, infant deaths and car accidents.
“It’s not okay to pile this on real people and expect it to have no ill effects.”
While their “fire-fighting family” was a group of men and women the couple could rely on, there was nothing from above, Watts said. She fully supported the strike.
“I hope this brings about the change that needs to happen for all of us.”
Nally said FENZ recognized that responding to emergencies can be psychologically demanding. FENZ provided free counseling and other professional psychological support to its firefighters.
FENZ encouraged all firefighters to make use of these services, which were accessible by self-referral or referral to the workplace, the FENZ Safety, Health and Well-being team.
“We have offered in negotiations to continue to work with the New Zealand Professional Firefighter’s Union to further enhance and develop our support and training in this area.”
Nelly said the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) and FENZ are currently in a process of constructively renegotiating the negotiations.