Volunteers - Fire and Emergency New Zealand...We need your support It’s a simple fact: without Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers, there would be no local fire brigades or

Good for your business and the communityVolunteers

NFS0271 Employer Recognition Pack_Brochure_A5 v5.indd 1 17/10/17 4:58 PM

Contents

3. We need your support

4. What’s in it for you?

6. What’s in it for employees who volunteer?

8. What will you need to do?

10. What happens next?

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We need your support

It’s a simple fact: without Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers, there would be no local fire brigades or fire forces to respond to emergencies.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers do much more than fighting fires. Their role covers a range of tasks including responding to motor vehicle accidents, medical call outs, rescue scenarios, extreme weather responses and much more.

And because we never know when an emergency could happen, our volunteers need to be ready to respond at any time, wherever they are and no matter what they’re doing.

That’s why the support of our volunteers’ employers is every bit as important as the work of the volunteers themselves.

Our Employer Recognition Programme acknowledges employers who support volunteers, and self-employed people who volunteer in their local fire brigade or fire force.

The Programme aims to make sure employers and self employed volunteers are publicly recognised for their commitment to help build strong, safe and caring communities.

If you share that commitment, we hope you’ll consider the information in this brochure and decide to support any employee of your business who wishes to become a Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteer.

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What’s in it for you?

Supporting Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers and joining the Employer Recognition Programme offers real benefits for your business.

Joining the programme can:

1 �� Give�your�business�the�benefit�of�your�employee’s�new�skills Your firefighter employee will bring a range of new skills to your workplace, such as fire safety, first aid and medical response, event organisation and many more.

2 �� Enhance�your�public�profile Communities have huge respect for their local fire brigade and fire force. A partnership with Fire and Emergency New Zealand can enhance your public profile by demonstrating your contribution to your community.

3 �� Demonstrate�that�you’re�a�socially�responsible�business Research shows an expectation among consumers that businesses will support worthy causes in the community, and consumers are more likely to buy products and services from socially responsible businesses.

4 �� Make�you�an�employer�of�choice In the competitive recruitment market, staff seek to align themselves with businesses with values they relate to. Corporate volunteering shows that staff are enabled to give back to their community. This can even be promoted as an innovative part of an employee recognition programme alongside superannuation contributions, health insurance or benefits.

5 �� Increase�employee�loyalty�and�engagement Employees have greater pride and loyalty for employers who are seen to ‘walk the talk’ and show that they care, which can increase productivity and therefore business success.

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Additionally,�the�Employer�RecognitionProgramme�offers�you:

Public acknowledgement of your support, such as displaying your business name on volunteer fi re trucks and fi re stations, and inclusion of your business name in community advertising supplements that thank supporters

Our commitment to develop, mentor and upskill your employee with specialist training and experience gained from real-world situations.

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What’s in it for employees who volunteer?

Corporate�volunteering�will�allow�your�employee�to�gain:

New skills such as fire safety, firefighting, first aid and medical response, specialised equipment experience, event organisation, fundraising, marketing, community and public relations skills

Pride that comes from volunteering, which is motivating, rewarding and boosts self-esteem

Transferable skills such as leadership and decision making, problem solving, drive, lateral thinking, ingenuity, and an ability to perform under pressure

Greater respect from co-workers

Opportunities to make new friendships and expand networks, which could in turn benefit your business.

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What will you need to do?There is no obligation for you to release and/or pay your employees for any period they are absent from work on Fire and Emergency New Zealand business.

We recognise that releasing your employees may not always be practical or possible. For this reason, we would encourage you either to make an agreement in advance, or to develop an emergency service volunteer absence policy for your whole business.

You may not be able to release your employee during work hours at all, but there might be other ways you can support them in volunteering such as accommodating their training schedule or helping them manage fatigue.

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In addition to time attending call outs, you may also need to allow your volunteer time away from work for training or to provide fire safety education at locations such as schools.

Time commitments will vary between volunteer stations, and your employee will be able to get more information about your local station’s call volume from the Chief Fire Officer. Call outs don’t just happen during working hours – they can happen at any time of the day or night, so not every call will impact your business.

The length of time for which an employee could be absent can vary from half an hour to four or five hours or more for a rare, major emergency. Fatigue can also be a consideration – your volunteer may occasionally need to sleep late before arriving for work or head home early for the day if they’ve responded to an emergency the previous night.

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What happens next?

If you support your employee in volunteering with Fire and Emergency New Zealand, you’ll receive an Employee Recognition Programme pack containing a membership booklet, a certificate that recognises your service to your community and a sticker that publicly identifies your business as a supporter of Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers.

Thank you for supporting your employees in volunteering with Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Your support is directly responsible for making your community a safer and more secure place to live.

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Your local fire brigade or fire forceIf you have any questions, please speak to your prospective volunteer/employee or contact the

fire brigade or fire force directly below.

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www.fireandemergency.nz


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Volunteers - Fire and Emergency New Zealand...We need your support It’s a simple fact: without Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers, there would be no local fire brigades or