Richard McNamara

Richard McNamara, a former rural manager for Fire and Emergency NZ and a key figure in the 2017 Port Hills fire, raises alarms about the impact of cutting specialist wildfire roles. He discusses the unique skills required for rural wildfire management and the escalating risks tied to climate change. Peter Hallett, a senior advisor and Firefighters Union delegate, highlights concerns over merging specialized risk roles into generalist positions, which may compromise public safety and the efficiency of frontline operations. They both urge for a reevaluation of current plans to maintain wildfire expertise.