Fire and Emergency New Zealand are planning three more strikes if their grievances are not met.

The first strike took place last Friday, and there are more planned for tomorrow, Friday 26th August, then again on 2nd and 9th September.

All these strikes will take place from 11 am until noon.

The strikes come after FENZ and the Professional Fire Fighters Union did not come to an agreement against grievances, which include low wages and being short-staffed. 

Some volunteer firefighters will respond to emergencies in impacted urban areas, but there may be slower response times in the city.

Reports stated that the two organisations were hoping to come to an agreement after the first strike last Friday, but this was unsuccessful.

FENZ said in a statement that they may not attend less serious events like private fire alarms where there is no evidence of a fire, small rubbish fires, or animal rescues.

The community is urged to phone 111 ONLY during an emergency. If there is a fire: get out and dial 111. DO NOT go back into the dwelling.

Other ways to prevent fire are to make sure smoke alarms are working and to plan your 3-step escape plan: plan your first escape route, plan your second escape route and finally arrange a safe meeting place.

Ways to prevent a fire:

• Keep everything at least one metre from your heater.
• Remove lint before every dryer use.
• Don’t leave cooking unattended.
• Cool ash in a metal bucket before you dispose.
• Don’t light any unnecessary fires.