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Overview
The following are brief notes from the NZ-RT Team Leaders Meeting held at the Ministry of Civil Defenceand Emergency Management, Wellington, Saturday 4 July 2009.These are not official minutes, which will hopefully come out in the upcoming weeks.Items in
Italics
are my comments or views, not those of the speakers.Shane BriggsRescue ManagerRescue Emergency Support Team (NZ-RT4)Palmerston North, NZ
John Hamilton
Director of Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management 
 John was the first speaker of several in the morning who were to paint a picture of where we are to date.
Expectations
 
Define roles/tasks
 
Structure/accountably
 
Training programme
 
ResourcesThe Framework has been adopted; it is not open for discussion. Today is to discuss what can and can
’t
be done.Teams need to move away from response to readiness because of connection to community.
(By readiness, he meant education)
The
director’s
role is to
“
help the helpers, help
”
 
 
 Alan Walker
Manager CDEM Development, Ministry of Civil Defence and EmergencyManagement 
2002 CDEM Act is about dissolving responsibilities to communities through the CDEM GroupsIn the beginning of Response Teams (2003), MCDEM had $380k for the first 3 years to establish teams(NZ-RT1, NZ-RT2 and NZ-RT3)By 2008 NZ Fire Service provided most of the USAR capability and NZ-RTs provided CDEM response.
 
Little use of RT
’
s in USAR
 
Not efficient use of a limited resource
 
Lead to unrealistic expectations
 
Formation of RT
’
s need to mirror the local needs/gaps
 
Opportunity for integrated frameworkAs of four days ago (June 20 2009) there is no funding for
“
this kind of work
”
.MCDEM
’
s role is to facilitate/coordinate responsibilities.
Paul McGill
Director Operations & Training, New Zealand Fire Service
There are 305 Volunteer brigades in NZ; about 100 of those do less than 10 calls a year.The NZ Fire Service has about 450 response teams
(response units / brigades).
The New Zealand Fire Service is set up for isolated events, fire, accidents. We get caught out duringsnow events, storms and other CDEM events. We have to go to MIPs mode, there is a gap in wide scaleevents, and they can
’
t cope.Same as USAR, it
’
s a stretch for us. Have to pull staff off shifts which is expensive, and does not leavemuch residual capacity. Virtually never called but have to be prepared because of the severity when itdoes happen.
 
Jim Stuart-Black 
Special Operations Manager, New Zealand Fire Service
We do not have all the answers to the way forward, we have ideas, a sketch, and a starting point.There have been six task force deployments to date.We only work on maximum credible scenarios, not worst case scenarios.We have not done risk analysis as models are too immature to be reliable.Response Teams that will have MOU
’
s with NZ Fire Service will need to be self sufficient, resupplyoptions, food, fuel, ablutions, water treatment, etc
Identifying Teams
 
Hazard/risk vs. time of response
 
Composites & individuals
 
Sustainability of support
 
Developmental
 –
start small and grow to meet the need
 
Oversight by NUSARBMay draw from multiple teams, not just one team. Individual people will be named and will create anew composite USAR RTAll current USAR Technicians are NZ Fire Service permanent Fire Fighters, except for three of them.There are not full time USAR staff 
Expectations
 
Speed
 –
regional proximity, 2 hours to get to Task Force base, 2 hours to deploy from there
 
10-16 per Response Team
(preferably 14-16)
 
 
Recognising capabilities within current teams
 
Self funded teams
(no support for equipment such as tents and ablutions)
 
 
Meet with teams, things have changed, need to people
 
Gap Analysis
 After saying how teams will be chosen, he went on to announce which teams have already been chosen.
Composite team in Christchurch.Composite with NZ-RT3 (Waitakeri) and NZ-RT5 (North Shore).Nelson (NZ-RT2)
 –
used as a transit point between islands.
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