Queenstown still has the worst false alarm rate in the country, but the Fire Service says progress is being made.
Of the 373 call-outs the Queenstown fire brigade responded to last year, 218, or 58%, were for false alarms, figures released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act show.
The national false alarm rate average for the 12 months to the end of March is 26%.
Fire Service Central-North Otago manager Keith McIntosh, who is based in Queenstown, said that figure was about the same as in 2014.
He said the Fire Service was making ground, particularly with repeat cases.
"We are getting fixes for some of the most problematic alarms - they are now experiencing fewer numbers.''
For the Fire Service's Frankton brigade, 66 of its 167 call-outs, or 40%, were for false alarms.
That was up from 35% in 2014. Arrowtown's false alarm rate last year was 20 out of 90 call-outs, or 22%.
Property owners are only charged from the third false alarm within a rolling 12-month period.
The worst offenders in the Queenstown area, with six invoices for false alarm charges, were the Hilton hotel complex and Kawarau Village and the Copthorne Hotel and Apartments in Frankton.
The Hilton complex was among the worst offenders in 2014 as well.
Hilton Queenstown general manager Chris Ehmann said he thought the figures related to the Hilton's DoubleTree hotel.
In the past there had been issues with false alarms, he said, and the hotel had been working with the Fire Service in recent months to address them.
"Under the fire department's recommendations we are in the process of changing some of the equipment to further reduce and hopefully eliminate false alarms,'' he said by email from Canada.
Copthorne Hotel and Apartments in Frankton did not respond to a request for comment.
The Fire Service received $39,100 in false alarm charges from Queenstown property owners last year, up from $32,000 in 2014.
The bulk of that figure, $32,000, came from central Queenstown property owners, with $5750 from Frankton owners.
A further $33,350 was owing as at December 31 last year.
Mr McIntosh said from April to June last year there was a "blow-out'' of false alarms caused by building and associated trade contractors.
Building contractors are the major focus of a Fire Service education campaign right now.
"Once we nail that I think we're going to see a downward trend.''
Queenstown has about 40 fire volunteers, while there are 24 each in Frankton and Arrowtown.
Fewer false alarms would mean "less disruption to their lives and to their careers'', Mr McIntosh said.
There was no timeline for having full-time firefighters in Queenstown, he said.
It would happen "when the [volunteer] brigade can no longer provide the service''.
The Government announced late last month it would spend $303million combining the New Zealand Fire Service, National Rural Fire Authority and the fire functions of over 40 rural fire authorities to become Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
The merger will take effect from July 1, 2017.
- Guy Williams & David Williams
Putting out the fires
Queenstown fire volunteers are "coping well'' with responding to medical emergencies, the local Fire Service chief says.
In late 2013, the Fire Service agreed to attend all life-threatening, cardiac or respiratory arrest emergencies, which took pressure off St John.
Some brigades have complained of feeling the mental strain and the Fire Service is rolling out more training.
But Fire Service Central-North Otago manager Keith McIntosh said Queenstown fire volunteers were handling the pressure.
"I think they're coping well - I get no push-back. And I know for a fact Queenstown [volunteers] have saved lives.''
