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Beyond response: Leading together to reduce fire risk and harm
Leading together with integrity sits at the heart of Fire and Emergency’s work to protect what matters and strengthen communities. Reducing unwanted fires and community risk requires more than emergency response alone. It depends on ethical leadership, genuine community partnership, and innovative approaches that influence behaviour and create lasting change.
Ada Street in Palmerston North had long been known for deliberately lit fires, creating ongoing risk for residents, first responders, and surrounding properties. To understand the causes of these incidents, the Manawatū-Whanganui Community Readiness and Recovery Team consulted frontline firefighters, reviewed incident data, and engaged directly with residents, landlords, and local businesses to build understanding of local context.
Through these conversations, a broader issue was identified. Anti-social behaviour had become normalised on Ada Street, with deliberately lit fires being one of several behaviours causing harm and increasing community risk. As the problem extended beyond the scope of Fire and Emergency New Zealand alone, effective cross-agency collaboration with Police, local Council, Corrections, iwi, and community members was required.
Interventions focused on improving both the physical environment and community relationships. Actions included a street clean-up, community barbecue, increased multi-agency visibility, and improved information-sharing practices. Residents were engaged early as partners, their insights shaping actions implemented collaboratively across participating agencies. These steps encouraged open conversations, strengthened trust, and built shared responsibility for community safety.
The impact was immediate and measurable. Within the first six months, fire-related callouts reduced to one, while Police callouts decreased 75 percent. A broader coordinated safety initiative achieved a 90 percent reduction in deliberately lit fires, a 63 percent reduction in Police callouts, and savings exceeding NZD $80,000 for frontline services. Most importantly, residents reported feeling safer and more connected.
This presentation demonstrates how inclusive, ethically guided leadership and cross-agency collaboration can transform high-risk environments and build resilient communities.
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