strategic plan 2010 2015 ver 1.0

8/6/2019 Strategic Plan 2010 2015 Ver 1.0

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Strategic Plan

New Zealand Fire

ServiceCommission

2010 2015


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New Zealand Fire Service Commission Strategic Plan 2010-2015

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Our Vision

Working with communities to protectwhat they value

Our MissionTo reduce the incidence and

consequences of fire and to providea professional response to other

emergencies

Our Values

Serving our communities

IntegrityAdaptability

SkillComradeship


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Table of contents

Foreword from the Chairperson .......................................... 4

Summarises the purpose, content and logic behind the Commissions strategicdirection.

The Commission's outcome framework ................................ 5

Shows the outcome results the Commission seeks to achieve.

Key Strategic Challenges ................................................... 6

Sets out the key challenges facing the organisation over the next five years.

Strategic Advantages and Core Competencies ...................... 7

Sets out the strategic advantages that influence the likelihood of success andcore competencies which summarise the areas of greatest expertise.

Strategic Objectives ......................................................... 8

Sets out the strategic objectives the Commission has developed to drive servicedelivery and national goals used to monitor progress against those objectives.

Financial Overview .......................................................... 11

Summaries the Commissions operating costs.


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Foreword from the Chairperson

On behalf of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission I am pleased to present theStrategic Plan for 2010-2015. It has been updated from the Commissions strategic plan2009-2014 published in September 2009.

This plan builds on the previous strategic plan and provides a clear focus for the comingfive years. It has the full support of the Commission, includes input from stakeholdersand has been developed in conjunction with the Chief Executive and seniormanagement team.

Through fire safety public education programmes, emergency response and rural fireco-ordination the Commission seeks to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Reduced consequences of unwanted fires for people, property, communities and theenvironment.2. Reduced adverse consequences of non-fire emergencies for people, property,

communities and the environment.3. New Zealanders have access to fire services in which they have a high level of trust

and confidence.

In July 2010 the Commission reaffirmed its five strategic objectives to guide servicedelivery. The strategic objectives are:

Strategic Objective one - Improve community fire outcomes

Strategic Objective two - Increase integration of urban and rural service delivery.Strategic Objective three - Contribute to enhanced community security.Strategic Objective four - Improve service performance accountability, and resourcemanagement.Strategic Objective five - Develop and protect our people and promote internalstakeholder partnerships.

The Commission has included an interim national goal covering the establishment of along-term sustainability target for greenhouse gas emissions. This interim goal will bereplaced following the completion of the research project on greenhouse gas emissions.

The Commission is committed to working in partnership with other central and localgovernment organisations to ensure an all of government approach is taken to commoncommunity issues.

Also set out in this plan are the financial implications of the Commissions workprogramme over next five years.


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The Commission's outcome framework

The diagram below presents the Commission's outcomes framework including theservices (outputs) the Commission provides, the impacts those services have and theoutcomes they seek to improve. The specific connections between each of the layers inthe outcomes framework are discussed in more detail in the following sections of thisSOI.

Fire safety

education,prevention

and advice

Improvedpublic fire

safety

knowledgeand fire-safebehaviour

Reduced

incidenceand

consequence

of fires

Rural fire

leadershipand

coordination

Earlierinterventionin the fire

growth curveand better

containment

Reduced

consequenceof fires

Moreappropriateresources

deployed tofire non-fire

emergencies

Contribution

to minimisedadverse

consequence

of non-fireemergencies

Improvedreadiness

and

capability offire

authorities

Reduced

consequenceof vegetation

fires

1. Reduction in the consequence from fires to people property,communities and the environment

2. Reduction in the consequence of non-fire emergencies to

people property, communities and the environment3. The Public are more informed and confident they are safe

from fire

Organisational Capability

Services

Impacts

Outcomes

Outcomes

Statements

Firefighting and

otheremergency

serviceoperations


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Key Strategic ChallengesThe Commission's Vision, Mission, and Values have lead it to recognise two keyrequirements for this strategic plan:

That the period planned for will present a number of important challenges andopportunities for the New Zealand Fire ServiceThat a limited number of strategic objectives are needed to focus these challengesand guide service delivery.

Strategic Challenges Relevant Strategic ObjectivesFire-Safe culture

Create sustained fire-safe practices within NewZealand.

Strategic Objective One Improvecommunity fire outcomes

Alternative service delivery modelsUnderstand how communities will change in future andresource for:

rural/urban (jurisdictions)medical emergenciescivil defence emergenciesspecialist operations (e.g. Urban Search & Rescue).

Strategic Objective Two Increaseintegration of urban and rural servicedeliveryStrategic Objective ThreeContribute to enhanced communitysecurity.

Social interactionDeliver, in partnership with local, regional andnational organisations, prevention and risk reductionservices that impact on non-fire emergencies.Respond to the effects that changing demographictrends have on service delivery.

Strategic Objective One Improvecommunity fire outcomesStrategic Objective ThreeContribute to enhanced communitysecurity.

Environmental sustainability and impact

Improve Fire Service resilience.Contribute to community resilience.Respond to emerging sustainability issues.Manage the impact on our operations.

Strategic Objective Four - Improve

service performance, accountability,and resource management.

Local government relationshipsIntegrate service delivery and knowledge sharingwith local government to help meet eachorganisation's needs.

Strategic Objective ThreeContribute to enhanced communitysecurity.Strategic Objective Four - Improveservice performance, accountability,and resource management

Technology

Increase technology driven demands, expectationsand impacts.Maximise emerging technology opportunitiesDevelop technology solutions that have costeffective operational benefits.

Strategic Objective Four - Improve

service performance, accountability,and resource management.

Workforce capability and sustainability

Ensure volunteer sustainabilityManage career staff recruitment, development,retention, commitment and successionDevelop alternative workforce strategies in achanging world with generation X and Y groupsEnhance organisation productivity.

Strategic Objective Five Developand Protect our people and promoteinternal stakeholder partnerships

GovernanceProvide effective governance and risk managementsystems.

Strategic Objective Four - Improveservice performance, accountability,and resource management.


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Strategic Advantages and Core Competencies

Strategic AdvantagesThe following list of strategic advantages highlight the key areas that influence theCommission's ability to successfully achieve its strategic objectives.

1. Public trust, confidence and loyalty - The Fire Service enjoys 96% trust and confidencefrom the New Zealand public which gives it the ability to be welcomed into communities,peoples homes, businesses and other agencies as a quality provider of relevant emergencymanagement services.2. Iconic brand recognition - Recognition of the Fire Service brand from all society gives theFire Service a high profile and reputation for excellence, giving the organisation access to allmarket segments.3. Leadership in emergency management - The Fire Service is recognised as the mainprovider of emergency management response services and a key player in providing pre-

planning and readiness advice to the public, businesses and local government organizations.This reputation gives the Fire Service credibility and helps to ensure that advice is acted upon.4. Statutory mandate - A clear legislative mandate to provide emergency managementservices including fire safety advice, emergency response to a range of incidents andparticipation in the wider civil defence and emergency management sector.5. Contingent capability - Nationally, emergency response takes between 5 10% of FireService time. The balance of time gives the Fire Service the ability to provide a large capacityworkforce (both career and volunteer) for a range of concurrent services or for singleemergency incident that requires mobilisation of large numbers of people and resources.6. National infrastructure - 10,000 career and volunteer firefighters at 436 fire stations, 350fire districts within 8 fire regions, 3 communications centres, an LMR network, national ICTinfrastructure and a national headquarters, collectively form an extensive infrastructure across

New Zealand. Combined, this gives the Fire Service a large geographic coverage with commonstandards and processes that enables deployment across territorial boundaries and providesnationally consistent advice to individuals, organisations and communities.

Core CompetenciesThe following core competencies refer to the Commission's areas of greatest expertise.These core competencies are strategically important and provide the Commission withthe ability to successfully achieve its strategic objectives.

1. Emergency response capability - The ability to receive calls and respond rapidly to

emergency incidents, anywhere, anytime, through a national infrastructure.2. Assessment of fire risk The collection and analysis of fire-related and other data toidentify at-risk groups and determine strategies to improve community fire safety outcomes.3. Strong community engagement The Fire Service is a community based organisation,working with and within communities, creating a strong local presence. Volunteer staff live &work in the communities they protect. All staff are involved personally and professionally in localactivities, building and reinforcing formal and informal relationships and promoting awareness.4. Specialist, practical fire and rescue knowledge The Fire Service is the principalorganisation with specialist fire & rescue knowledge and practical skills enabling successfulassistance to communities and contributing to inter-agency plans.5. Multi-skilled personnel The ability of firefighters to apply skills and training and adapt to

the range of situations encountered during attendance at emergency incidents.6. Integration of people/procedures/equipment - The combination of trained personnel withthe right knowledge, attitudes, skills, procedures & equipment to successfully provide advice,deliver targeted community education and manage emergency incidents


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Strategic Objectives

Strategic Objective One Improve community fire outcomes

This strategic objective covers the comprehensive approach to delivering fire riskservices. It also includes balancing resources between risk reduction, readiness,response and recovery activities.

National Goals1.1 Achieve and maintain an avoidable residential structure fire fatality rate of less than 0.5per 100,000 population.1.2 Achieve and maintain the rate of life threatening and moderate injuries to the public fromfire incidents to less than 4.5 per 100,000 population.1.3 Maintain the estimated dollar value of damage from fires in residential structures below

$65m per annum.

1

1.4 Maintain the estimated dollar value of damage from fires in non-residential structuresbelow $50m per annum. 11.5 Achieve and maintain the rate of fires in structures to less than 130 per 100,000population.1.6 Ensure annual area burnt by wildfires is 5% less than the previous 10-year average 75 thpercentile.1.7 Achieve and maintain the rate of vegetation fires to less than 120 per 100,000 population.4.1 Improve the fire safety knowledge and behaviour of the public: projections developed for2011:

98% of people will believe a fire can become unsurvivable in five minutes or less85% of people recall a fire safety message96% of homes will have at least one smoke alarm installed

4.2 Achieve and maintain the total estimated rate of fires in New Zealand to less than 1,900per 100,000 population (for national external monitoring only)2.4.2a Achieve and maintain the rate of fires attended by the Fire Service to less than 500 per100,000 population (for internal reporting and monitoring purposes)4.3 Respond to alarms to structure fires inside fire districts so as to meet the nationalservice delivery guidelines of 8 minutes for career stations and 11 minutes for volunteerstations for 90% of alarms.4.7 100% of fire authorities will meet their legal obligations for adopting and reviewing theirfire plans. The readiness and response parts of the fire plan will be reviewed every twoyears and the risk reduction and recovery parts of the fire plan every five years.

4.8 Contain ninety-five percent of all wildfires within two hours of being reported.

1The Fire Service estimates dollar value lost by using its own estimate of area damaged and the standard industry

quantity survey tables for construction cost by building type.2

The Fire Service has incident data on the number of fires it attends, but independent surveys show this number isbetween 9% and 25% of all unwanted fires people have in houses and between 19% and 44% of outside fires.The Commission estimates the total number of all fires in New Zealand each year by taking the annual number offires attended by the Fires Service and dividing it by the by 5-year average percentage attended by the FireService. The effect of this calculation is to up-rate the Fire Service incident data as if it attended 100% of all fires.


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Strategic Objective Two Increase integration of urban and ruralservice delivery.

This strategic objective covers unifying service delivery across urban and rural areas.This includes reducing fragmentation across fire authorities of existing rural fire services

and developing objective risk assessment tools to model future configuration of servicesso that capability and capacity is accurately matched to community need.

National Goal4.6 Reduce the number of fire authorities from 89 to 60 by 2013 *.

* The achievement of this national goal will only be achieved in consultation with fire authorities and withthe agreement of fire authorities.

Strategic Objective Three Contribute to enhanced communitysecurity.

This strategic objective covers delivering a range of services for non-fire emergencies. Itincludes preplanning, response and recovery from non-fire incidents, including civildefence emergencies. It involves working closely with local organisations and groupsand other emergency management agencies to meet the changing needs ofcommunities.

National Goals4.4 Meet or exceed national service delivery guidelines for non-fire emergencies:

30 minutes for motor vehicle accidents 90% of the time.20 minutes for incidents requiring the specialist Hazmat unit 90% of the time within largeurban areas and major transportation hubs. *60 minutes for incidents requiring the specialist Hazmat unit 90% of the time for the restof New Zealand.

4.5 All New Zealand Fire Service fire stations meet the agreed national standard resilience.

* major urban areas are where the population exceeds 50,000 and major transportation hubs are largeports and airports for example.


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Strategic Objective Four - Improve service performance,accountability, and resource management.

The strategic objective focuses on improving business systems to developsustainability, reduce cost, expand capability, protect the Commission's income base

and increase resilience to risk. It also includes setting long-term greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions targets and developing the associated action plans required to achieve thosetargets.

National Goals3.1 95% of New Zealanders have the full trust and confidence in New Zealand's fireservices.5.1 Establish targets for reducing GHG emissions and energy consumption (interim goal).5.2 Ensure total levy receipts meet or exceed the approved forecast.

5.3 Achieve an external audit rating of at least "good" each year.5.4 Ensure actual income, expenditure and surplus/deficit is within the annual forecasts.5.5 Ensure capital cash flows are within expected levels.5.6 Maintain a liquidity buffer (investments less debt) of at least $10,000,000.

Strategic Objective Five Develop and Protect our people andpromote internal stakeholder partnerships

This strategic objective includes the development of career and volunteer staff so theyare able to serve New Zealand communities.

National Goals6.1 Achieve improved diversity of the NZFS workforce so that it better reflects thecommunities we serve. Projections for June 2009

11% of operational firefighter will be of Maori origin.4.25% of operational firefighters will of Pacific People origin.5.5% of operational firefighters will be female.

6.2 Ensure sufficient volunteers are available to volunteer brigades so they can meet theircommunity obligations.6.3 Improve the employee engagement index to 75% in 2011.6.4 Maintain employee turnover rates below:

15% for management and support and communication centre staff6% for firefighters.


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Financial Overview

The forecast financial impact of the Commissions strategic directions and underlyingstrategies is set out in the table below.

Significant Financial AssumptionsTo the extent known, the impacts on the Commission of the current economic climatehave been factored into the prospective financial statements, including:

reduced forecast levy income compared to the forecasts set out in last year'sStatement of Intent. A conservative approach is being taken due to the flow onimpact of the global financial crisis and the range of levy minimisation schemespresent in the market.increased cost of importing fire appliance cabs and chassis's, protective clothing,pumps and communications equipment etc due to adverse movements in the

NZ$/US$ exchange rate.increased cost of supplies and services including fuel, utilities and rates.

Other significant assumptions in the prospective financial statements for 2010/2013 aresummarised in the following bullet points and table:

the current organisation structure will be in place throughout the periodthe current range of services will be in place throughout the periodfirefighter callbacks and long-term sick leave will be actively managed within theagreed budget parametersthe capital programme will be delivered

Other Significant Assumptions 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13Levy rate 7.6c 7.6c 7.6cLevy base growth 2.0% 2.25% 2.5%

Cash rate 4.25% 6.25% 6.5%Consumer Price Index (CPI) 2.6% 2.6% 2.5%USD/NZD exchange rate $0.71 $0.70 $0.70EUR/NZD exchange rate $0.54 $0.50 $0.47AUD/NZD exchange rate $0.80 $0.82 $0.80Diesel price (excl GST) per litre $1.20 $1.40 $1.70Petrol price (excl GST) per litre $1.60 $1.80 $2.10Revaluations land/buildings 1% / 3% 1% / 3% 3% / 3%

Number of recruit courses 2 2 2Number of additional operational crews 0 0 0Establishment - operational firefighters 1725 1725 1725Number of pumps crewed by paid staff 92.5 92.5 92.5Number of special appliances crewed by paidstaff

12 12 12

Establishment - non-operational 563.4 563.4 563.4Number of callbacks - sick leave, projects etc 12.8 12.8 12.8Number of callbacks - long term sick 1.0 1.0 1.0Number of statutory day adjustment (# shifts) 28 29 28Number of USAR International Deployments 1 1 1

UFBA Funding $1,510k $1,510k $1,510kContestable Research Fund $550k $550k $550kEnlarged Rural Fire District Grants $859k $1,256k $1,256k


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Prospective Statement of Comprehensive IncomeFor the year ended 30 June

Budget Forecast Forecast

2011 2012 2013

$000 $000 $000

Revenue

Levy 304,488 311,360 319,167

Other revenue 9,653 9,388 9,388

Total revenue 314,141 320,748 328,555

Income 1,965 1,501 782

Total revenue and income 316,106 322,249 329,337

ExpenditureEmployee and volunteer benefits expenditure 207,961 213,511 217,836

Depreciation 30,170 30,844 32,162

Amortisation 1,956 2,684 3,063

Finance costs 486 402 363

Other expenditure * 76,291 77,269 78,813

Total expenditure 316,864 324,710 332,237

Net surplus attributable to the Commission (758) (2,461) (2,900)

Net surplus attributable to the Rural Fire Fighting

Fund 573 573 573Net surplus attributable to the owners of theCommission (185) (1,888) (2,327)

Other comprehensive incomeGains on revaluation of land and buildings net ofimpairment losses 7,733 7,932 11,451

Total comprehensive income attributable tothe owners of the Commission 7,548 6,044 9,124

* Other expenditure

Fleet 13,680 14,393 15,424

Communications and computer 11,988 12,614 12,946

Occupancy 11,793 11,928 12,186Operational clothing, equipment andconsumables 11,457 10,097 10,170Travel 6,844 6,876 6,601

Publicity and advertising 5,293 5,221 5,221

Other 15,236 16,140 16,265Total other expenditure 76,291 77,269 78,813

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