National Headquarters
Level 12
80 The Terrace
PO Box 2133
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone +64 4 496 3600
3 December 2020
Andrew Crow
By email: [FYI request #14091 email]
Dear Andrew
Information Request – Cost of Guy Fawkes callouts
I refer to your official information request dated 6 November 2020 asking for the following
information for the period 1st November 2020 through to 9th November 2020.
1. Total number of call outs (false alarm or not) that are related to fireworks.
2. Total cost per call out in question #1
In accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982, I
enclose the information
you requested in your first question, being the number of incidents related to fireworks between 1
and 9 November 2020.
Please note, Fire and Emergency publishes the numbers of Fireworks-related incidents on its
website
, https://www.fireandemergency.nz/recreational-and-cultural/fireworks/. These are
preliminary figures (currently being updated) and based on fires that are identified as being
fireworks-related at the time of the incident. The figures attached include those identified as
fireworks-related during subsequent investigation and are therefore higher.
Regarding the second question, Fire and Emergency is funded to be ready and able to respond as
and when its services are required. On that basis, we do not record costs to a level of detail that
apportions costs to incidents we have attended involving fireworks. Consequently, we must
decline your request for this information under section 18(g) of the Official Information Act 1982
as the information is not held by our organisation and there are no grounds for believing that the
information is held by, or connected more closely with the functions of, another organisation.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is availab
le at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Lucy Cotterill
Chief Advisor, Deputy Chief Executive, Office of the Chief Executive
encl
