Parliament has turned down a petition seeking changes to ACC workplace laws to cover injured volunteer firefighters.
The petition sought equal ACC coverage and benefits for volunteer firefighters as those received by their paid counterparts.
Katherine Lamont from the Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade started the petition to Parliament after a colleague suffered PTSD and couldn’t access support.
Lamont gathered 36,549 signatures to advocate for 12,000 volunteer firefighters excluded from certain ACC benefits due to their non-employee status.
Parliament’s Education and Workforce Committee acknowledged the vital services provided by volunteer firefighters to New Zealand but declined to amend the legislation.
“While we are sympathetic to the petitioner’s arguments, we are concerned about the precedent that extending ACC cover to volunteer firefighters might set. We do not consider it practical for all types of volunteers to be provided with ACC workplace coverage.”
“We would like to take the opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who volunteer for this important and challenging work.”
Lamont said this outcome was not what they hoped for, but they will continue the advocacy.
“While the committee ultimately declined to recommend legislative change, their own report acknowledges what volunteers and communities already know: volunteer firefighters are essential, they face the same dangers as paid firefighters, and they deserve better support.”
In her submission to the committee, Lamont outlined the critical importance of volunteer firefighters. She said volunteers constitute 86% of Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s (FENZ) frontline workforce.
“These people are often first responders in emergencies,” Lamont added.
“In New Zealand in 2023, volunteer firefighters responded to callouts for 70% of motor vehicle accidents, 71% of medical emergencies, and 81% of vegetation fires.”
She noted that volunteers remain on call around the clock, expecting nothing in return.