Rural fire changes hands

30 June 2017

Rural fire moves under the responsibility of the newly formed Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) tomorrow, meaning Taupo District Council will no longer be the provider of the response service for rural fire for the district.

FENZ is an amalgamation of the New Zealand Fire Service, the National Rural Fire Authority, all 12 rural fire districts and 26 territorial rural fire authorities. From July 1, new legislation means rural fire is no longer the operational responsibility of local authorities.

Council's rural fire manager Roger Nelson will move over to head the local division of FENZ's rural fire department, which is located in the New Zealand Fire Service building on the corner of Rifle Range Road and Lake Terrace.

The changes to the rural fire service do not affect the way emergency services respond - in the case of an emergency or if you see suspicious fire, dial 111.