Firef ighters want answers

Dozens of volunteer firefighters across two Wellington brigades are demanding that the service’s top brass front up about a failed investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying against chief executive Bill Butzbach.

The Paekakariki and Porirua volunteer brigades want United Fire Brigades Association (UFBA) executives to publicly address last year’s abandoned investigation into Butzbach, and say the unresolved issues have left him unfit to lead.

‘‘There’s a big black cloud over the UFBA,’’ said Margaret Smith, officer-incharge of the Porirua Volunteer Fire Brigade, which has 27 members.

‘‘We want some kind of finalisation on what these accusations mean. Have we got a reputable boss?

‘‘My whole brigade is behind me on this, and they agree with me that you can’t have a non-result, you need a result.’’

It was disheartening for all sexual assault survivors and women in the service, she said.

‘‘As female firefighter, when something like this happens, you think, ‘ Why should I speak up?’.’’

Smith and Paekakariki volunteer firefighter Judith Stanley are among those who say their concerns about the sexual misconduct allegations against Butzbach and how they have been handled since 2016 have been silenced.

An investigation was launched into Butzbach’s alleged sexual assault and bullying of three victims in late 2020, led by Kristy McDonald QC. It was abandoned four months later. At the time, the UFBA said this was because agreement could not be reached on the terms of reference.

But one victim spoken to by Stuff said she had no confidence in the independence and robustness of the investigation, and was not guaranteed a copy of the final report.

A proposal signed by both brigades to include the issue on the agenda of the upcoming annual general meeting has been rejected, with UFBA chair Peter Dunne refusing to accept the joint notice of motion or distribute it nationwide.

‘‘This is just another way of them determining the narrative,’’ said Stanley.