123rd Annual Report 2021-22

123RD

ANNUAL REPORT

For the year ended 31st March 2022

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

CONTENTS A YEAR IN REVIEW

01

OUR HERITAGE

02

REMEMBERING SALVIN "JOHN" WILSON

03

MEMBERSHIP

04

Meet our team Our Life Members Recruitment Membership Changes

04 04 05 05

STATION TRAINING COORDINATOR'S REPORT 06 THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

08

TREASURER’S REPORT

09

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

10

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

Bunnings Fundraising and Fire Safety BBQ

A YEAR IN REVIEW I am pleased to present the 123rd Annual Report for the year ended 31st March 2022.

While writing this introduction I am reflecting on how many things have had to change as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Fire and Emergency NZ was required to mandate vaccinations for all operational personnel, when dealing with the public, we now have to wear masks, procedures are constantly being updated and many of our events have were cancelled.

However, true to form, the members of our Unit have continually risen to the challenge and rallied around to support each other.

EMERGENCY RESPONSES During this period we responded to 60 incidents up 18 from the last period. The hours we worked also increased, almost doubling to 794 hours.

Two incidents that stood out were the scene protection and lighting provided to Operation Toa to help the stranded Orca in Plimmerton and the long duration wildfire incident in Trentham.

ROLES UNDERTAKEN Traffic Management

TIMES PERFORMED 21

Non-Fire Salvage

11

Crew Recovery

10

Liaison with Public

10

Many of us have now had COVID-19 and even though we are fit and healthy, for some it has been difficult to recover from.

Scene Lighting

10

Scene Security

9

Equipment Makeup

9

I would like to thank every member for their fortitude and resolve under such difficult circumstances. My wish for the coming year is that we are able to settle into a new normal which allows us to enjoy more social activities as a team.

Crowd Control

8

Incident Logistics

5

Victim Support

5

Fire Salvage

4

Evacuation Support

2

Crew Transport

1

SSO Jono Ashman Officer in Charge

123RD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2022

01

The first known photo of the Wellington Volunteer Fire Police (circa 1902) Back Row: Messrs. Robinson, Neilson, Asher, Biggs, Tolley. Third Row: Messes. Smith, Alexander, von Bernewitz, Mills, Madeley, Rogers, Flager.

Second Row: Kirkland, Lieut. Cohen, Lieut. Hilbdreth, Capt. Wright, Lieut. Bellinger, Meech, Tandy. Front Row: Messrs Bryant, Rash, Adair, Meyrick.

Source: Free Lance, 27 June 1903, Page 16

OUR HERITAGE 1877 saw the beginning of the Fire Police and Salvage capability in Wellington, originally sponsored by the Wellington City Rifle Volunteer Corps, a local military volunteer unit. The then Mayor of Wellington was instrumental in the forming of a Volunteer Fire Police Unit, which was charged with attending fires to prevent the destruction of property, watching over goods that had been salvaged and controlling the crowds that formed and sometimes hindered the work of the personnel of the fire brigade.

The forerunner units underwent several changes in personnel, role, and entities before being disbanded in 1886. However, some thirteen years later, on 12 October 1889, in response to a recommendation for a unit to assist the Municipal Fire Brigade by Superintendent T.T. Hugo, the Wellington Volunteer Fire Police Corps, from which the Wellington Operational Support Unit of today can directly trace its lineage was formed.

The Unit of today is proud of its 123 years of service to the people of Wellington. Its members have served through two world wars, the Great Depression, a global financial crisis and multiple rounds of government restructuring.

The Corps, Division and more recently Unit have gone through many changes of function during its history.

This has seen it evolve from being primarily charged with salvage and the prevention of looting, to auxiliary fire-fighting roles by manning stations during busy times, being tasked with taking charge of deliveries during large scale events, to a more general support role.

Two publications have been produced by the Unit describing its history. The history of the Unit is currently being updated in preparation for 125 years of service in 2024. The Unit would gratefully receive copies of photographs, antidotes, or other memorabilia associated with the Unit and its predecessors to make these updates as complete and rich as possible.

FF Todd Skilton

02

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

International Year of The Volunteer Medal presentation by the Mayor of Wellington, Kerry Pendergast, on 27 August 2001

REMEMBERING SALVIN "JOHN" WILSON It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to a well-loved Station Officer (retired) and Life Honorary Member, John Wilson who passed away on Saturday 27 November 2021, aged 80. John was a beloved husband of Philippa. Brother to Bindy Dakin. Father of Meg and Fliss Wilson. Grandfather to Kurt, Maddy, Vinny, Harley, and Riley.

John began his volunteer service with our Unit, then called the Wellington Fire Police, on the 25 March 1968.

He served for over 25 years until retiring as a Station Officer on the 1 December 2003. John was awarded Life Honorary Membership for his service in 1993 and received his NZ Fire Service Long Service medal and two clasps for his time served.

We paid our respects at John's memorial on Thursday 9 December 2021 at St Peter and Paul's Church, Johnsonville.

123RD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2022

03

MEMBERSHIP MEET OUR TEAM As at 31 March 2022

Officer in Charge

2IC & Station training Coordinator

SO PHILIP HARRIS

SO MARK FOSTER

QFF CHELSEA CALVERT

QFF CATHERINE COE

QFF STEPHEN LAMBERT

QFF CULLUM PENI-WESCHE

FF ALEX COUSINS

FF BLAIR HILLYARD

FF TOM JOZEFOWSKI

FF COLIN LARSEN

FF SIMON LUKE

FF ETHAN RICHARDSON

FF KELSEY SCOTT

FF TODD SKILTON

FF DUNCAN TABOR

RFF BANG DU

RFF DIEGO SALLES

SSO JONO ASHMAN

FF Representative

Station training Coordinator

OUR LIFE MEMBERS It has been very difficult to coordinate activities with our Life Members during COVID-19 restrictions. I'd like to thank Brian Arons for maintaining regular contact and keeping the Unit up to date.

04

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

Secretary

Safety, Health & Wellbeing Advocate

Roger Bullock (Patron) Brian Arons Annette Francis Alan Heppleston Barry Lanauze

Treasurer

Sandy Lawson J.P. Ron Lennon Chris Raine Bryan Roband Jane Stevens

RECRUITMENT

We have enjoyed a steady interest from Wellingtonians wanting to volunteer however the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions meant that we had to put recruitment activities on hold. Hopefully we will be able to rebuild our numbers in the later months of 2022.

MEMBERSHIP CHANGES

MEMBERS JOINING

Members at 01 Apr 2021:

22

Members Resigned:

8

Diego Salles

08 Nov 2021

Members Rejoined:

1

Duncan Tabor

01 Dec 2021

New Members:

3

Bang Du

17 Dec 2021

Members at 31 Mar 2022

18

Simon Luke (Rejoined)

01 Feb 2022

NAME

DATE

MEMBERS LEAVING NAME

DATE

TIME SERVED WITH US

REASON FOR LEAVING

Sam van Erpers Roijaards

09 Aug 2021

2 years 2 months

Work commitments

Norm Kelly

19 Apr 2021

6 years 7 months

Moved out of Wellington

Sam Gard

07 Jun 2021

2 years 4 months

Work commitments

Simon Luke

09 Jun 2021

2 years 5 months

Moved out of Wellington

Bree Freeman

09 Jun 2021

2 years

Moved out of Wellington

Samantha Read

28 Jun 2021

11 months

Moved out of Wellington

Rhys Edlin

24 Jan 2022

3 years

Ray Peniamina

28 Feb 2022

3 years 8 months

Transferred to Remutaka OSU Moved out of Wellington

EVENTS

Our members enjoy attending community events to promote fire safety. It is a great way to connect with our diverse neighbourhood and make a positive difference in people’s lives. COVID-19 has seriously impacted public events we have been able to attend.

EVENTS ATTENDED TYPE

EVENT

DATE

Fire Safety Promotions

Miramar Central School Fair

12 Mar 2021

Joint Brigade Event

Kilbirnie Station BATB BBQ

13 Mar 2021

Fire Safety Promotions

Tu Meke Taita

20 Mar 2021

Bunnings BBQ Sky Tower fundraiser

03 Apr 2021

2021 Pride Parade

10 Apr 2021

Joint Brigade Event

Recruits induction day at Kilbirnie Station

17 Apr 2021

Officiating

Firefighters Combat Challenge support

30 Apr 2021

Funeral

LHM Salvin "John" Wilson

09 Dec 2021

Fire Safety Promotions Fundraising Fire Safety Promotions

AWARDS, HONOURS AND PROMOTIONS Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions the Unit has decided to hold an Awards and Honours night later in 2022.

123RD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2022

05

Joint training with Newlands Volunteer Fire Brigade

STATION TRAINING COORDINATOR'S REPORT Reflecting on the year gone, COVID-19 Alert Levels have again impacted on the delivery of training but we’ve still managed to ensure we maintaining our competencies and keep it a little bit interesting at the same time. There were periods where training events with other brigades or external organisations was not able to be carried out (as we focused on ensuring we retained sufficient operational capability to respond to emergencies). This sometimes meant that training nights were run over Microsoft Teams, instead of on-station.

Despite this, highlights from the past year include FF Kelsey Scott completing his Medical Co-Responders course, in Dannevirke (finally!), a visit to Remutaka station for orientation on the Wellington area Breathing Apparatus Tender Remutaka 4915, and joint training opportunities with Remutaka OSU and Newlands VFB. We were also (with other Wellington brigades) able to take a tour of Transmission Gully prior to its opening, learning about some of the unique engineering challenges of this landmark build, and about some of the emergency response considerations for the types of incidents we may need to support along the route.

I want to particularly thank the training team at Newlands brigade for being particularly accommodating to us (again) - some of the key skills we need to remain on-top-of involve use of equipment that we don’t have readily available at Kilbirnie, and it’s great to develop and maintain these skills with the support of experienced volunteer operational firefighters.

In the last year we had just one recruit to progress through the training programme; congratulations to FF Tom Jozefowski for taking up the challenge of working through the Recruits Training Log in just three months and then successfully completing the OS Recruits Course at Woolston, Christchurch in August 2021.

As usual there’s a few people to thank for our successes during 2021 - particularly FF Blair Hillyard for making his substantial experience in the rescue arena available to us, and my counterpart STC’s at Newlands brigade for their help with our core skills training (within a timeframe that supported FF Tom Jozefowski’s preparations for his recruits course). More generally I need to acknowledge everyone in the brigade for their patience and enthusiasm as we adapted to the circumstances of the day.

On a personal level, I would like to thank SSO Jono Ashman and SO Philip Harris for their support managing the brigade training programme throughout the year, particularly as COVID-19 cases started to appear in Wellington and various members of the brigade (including myself) had extended periods of unavailability, as we focused on our families and on recovering from the virus.

Looking forward into the 2022-2023 reporting period, it’s been great to expand the training team to include QFF Cullum Peni-Wesche, FF’s Alex Cousins and Duncan Tabor. A fresh perspective means that we should see some new and interesting training ideas in the coming year.

SO Mark Foster

Station Training Coordinator

06

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

A wide variety of training throughout the year

123RD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2022

07

Providing lighting and scene security at Operation Toa

THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I’d like to specifically thank: • District Manager Nick Pyatt and Group Manager Michael Dombroski for their valuable support • The VSO team of John Rowe and Jamie Molenaar who are always available to answer questions and provide support • The Region Trainer, David Milham, and • Wellington District's business support team.

From our team I’d like to give special thanks to: • Our Management Committee, SO Phil Harris, SO Mark Foster, QFF Catherine Coe, FF Todd Skilton and QFF Stephen Lambert for their hard work • FF Kelsey Scott for his work as our Safety, Health and Wellbeing Advocate, • FF Todd Skilton and QFF Catherine Coe for their work collating and documenting the Unit's history, and • The rest of our team who continue to offer their valuable time to train and respond for the service of our community.

Salvage training exercise

08

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

TREASURER’S REPORT The Unit’s finances remain in a solid position after another steady year. As at 31 March 2022, the Unit held a total of $52,168 in our bank accounts and term deposits. This is an increase of $2,709 from 2020-21, primarily as a result of events being held virtually instead of in person as a result of COVID-19.

Administration Account

Social Account

Income from FENZ quarterly grants was $9,422, consistent with recent years and sufficient to meet the Unit’s general administration needs. Expenses were $7,992, with the main areas of spending being Unit social events. As no executive reimbursements were paid in the previous financial year due to the change in the reporting period, the membership approved payment of those historic reimbursements to the relevant officers in this financial year, causing a one-off increase in the level of executive reimbursements.

The Social account remains open in case there is a future need for a separate account.

Equipment Account The Unit did not purchase any equipment this year, with the Unit’s requirements being met by the Fire and Emergency New Zealand capital expenses programme.

Special Purposes Account The Special Purposes account is designed to have funds readily available to assist members and former members in need, or for small gifts following ill health and bereavements. This account was not utilised this year.

Term Deposits There is currently a total of $39,971 across three term deposits, an increase of $275.83 interest over the year.

These deposits are invested for a range of periods.

Some of these funds may be used for equipment upgrades in due course. Interest rates have continued to drop for these term deposits, resulting in diminishing interest returns.

Thanks to our Examiner of the Books A special thanks again to our Examiner of the Books, Life Honorary Member and Patron, Roger Bullock. His understanding of the roles and financial needs of the Unit are very much appreciated in his yearly scrutiny of our accounts.

FF Todd Skilton

Brigade Treasurer

Joint Training with Wellington North Volunteer Fire Brigade

123RD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2022

09

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

FINANCIAL STATEMENT Statement of Receipts and Payments for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

General Accounts (00) Income

2021

2022

Expenditure

2021

$

2,511 Opening Balance

$

1,772

$

$

7,196 FENZ Grant

$

9,422

$

355 UFBA Honours - UFBA Conference

2022 $

1,148

$

-

$

- Fund Raising

$

1,019

$

3,038 AGM Expenses

$

-

$

1 Interest

$

2

$

1,248 Social Expenses

$

2,375

$

821 OiC Expenses

$

215

$

702 Gifts

$

787

$

575 Unit Administration

$

716

$

- Executive Expenses

$

2,500

$

9,708

$ 12,216

$

1,198 Other Expenses

$

252

$

1,772 Closing Balance

$

4,224

$

9,708

$ 12,216

Social Account (01) Income

2021

2022

Expenditure

2021

2022

$

0 Opening Balance

$

0

$

0 Closing Balance

$

0

$

0

$

0

$

0

$

0

Equipment Account (03) Income

2021 $ $ $

10

7,293 Opening Balance 4 Interest 7,296

2022

2021

Expenditure

2022

$

6,440

$

582 Display Cabinets / Urn

$

-

$

3

$

274 Equipment - Other

$

-

$

6,443

WELLINGTON VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE SUPPORT UNIT

$

6,440 Closing Balance

$

6,443

$

7,296

$

6,443

Special Purposes Account (97) Income Expenditure 2022 2021

2021 $

2,032 Opening Balance

$ $

2 Interest 2,034

$

1,531

$

$

1

$

$

1,531

$

470 Gifts

2022 $

-

1,564 Closing Balance

$

1,530

2,034

$

1,530

Term Deposit (04) 2021

Income

2022

2021

$ 21,577 Opening Balance

$ 22,298

$

$

721 Interest

$ 22,298

Expenditure

2022

$ 22,298 Closing Balance

$ 22,851

$ 22,298

$ 22,851

-

$ 22,298

Term Deposit (05) 2021 $ $ $

Income

5,796 Opening Balance 443 Interest 6,239

2022

2021

$

6,239

$

-

$

6,239

Expenditure

2022

$

6,239 Closing Balance

$

6,353

$

6,239

$

6,353

Term Deposit (07) 2021

Income

2022

2021

$ 10,087 Opening Balance

$ 10,433

$

$

346 Interest

$ 10,433

Expenditure

2022

$ 10,433 Closing Balance

$ 10,767

$ 10,433

$ 10,767

-

$ 10,433

I have examined the Books, Accounts, and Vouchers of the Wellington Operational Support Unit for the 12-month period, 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, and in my opinion the statements and payments for the General, Social, Equipment, and Special Purposes accounts, and three Term Deposits as presented are a true and fair record of the transactions that have taken place during the period.

Roger Bullock

Examiner of the books 14 May 2022

123RD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2022

11

123 YEARS SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY WHEN THEY NEED IT THE MOST