National announce election policy to 'reset' FENZ

National have announced a plan to "reset" Fire and Emergency services, if re-elected.Meanwhile, the firefighters' union is presenting a petition to Parliament on Wednesday for better pay, after repeated strike action.Spokesperson for emergency management and recovery minister Mark Mitchell said the party would make FENZ a departmental agency directly accountable to the minister for emergency management, removing the FENZ Board.The policy comes after a report slammed FENZ for repeatedly giving wrong answers to questions from a Parliamentary Committee, and spending $275,000 on PR and lawyers.The report laid bare failings, including the purchasing of 30 new trucks in 2019 which are still not being used.Mitchell told Midday Report: "These aren't issues that have just emerged overnight ... It has taken two years to do that thorough inquiry but that was a big piece of work.""What that has done is informed us to be able to come forward with a policy like this to address those issues that were identified."Mitchell promised volunteer firefighters would be provided more mental and physical health support."Firefighters are at the front line of keeping their community safe. It is critical that they receive reliable trucks, proper training."To do this, FENZ would have to fund private insurance to get cover for volunteer's injuries, outside of ACC.He pledged to get already-ordered fire appliances into service and establish funded fleet replacement and training programmes.FENZ is currently funded through a fire levy built into contracts of insurance where property is insured against the risk of fire.Mitchell said he could not guarantee the fire levy would not rise if National was re-elected, however said there was no plans to do so.Minister Tim Costley said extra money for FENZ would not be needed for the reset."It's not a funding issue here, it's an operational one."Labour vows to launch independent reviewLabour's internal affairs spokesperson, Lemauga Lydia Sosen, said the party would launch an independent review into FENZ's funding and operations if elected."National has had three years to get behind our emergency services but instead, they cut $50 million a year from FENZ," she said."Our firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep communities safe. Being properly backed to do their jobs is the least they deserve. The situation at FENZ is untenable."