Why choose us?

Fire Rescue and First Response is the result of a long ambition. After a combined 38 years in the military, ambulance service and fire service, Phil Nesbit knew that he wanted to create an organization that could be trusted to provide the highest quality emergency training possible.

He wanted gather a group of people who could provide training on how to reduce risk, to know what to do in an emergency and to have a team that had the strength of leadership and confidence to protect life and property no matter what the emergency.

Phil wanted to create a company that served with a sincere desire to provide continuous improvement specific to each unique situation. He envisioned a group of people who could teach companies to feel confident regardless of the situation, whether a medical, fire, earthquake evacuation or any emergency situation. Or perhaps it would be a dangerous working environment, such as gas leaks, operating dangerous tools – whatever a group might face.

As business continued to grow year on year, Phil knew he could no longer provide all the training himself. After a career long education in leadership and a strong background in preventive and reactionary safety techniques, Phil used his broad network to reach out to people he had trusted while in the services to be tutors for his clients.

These were people he knew he could trust when the unexpected occurred. They have all been passionate about firefighting, medical and emergency response since entering the workforce, and have all pursued continued training and education in their specific fields.

These trainers are men and women who are all leaders in the true sense of the word and share Phil’s passion for teaching others to respond appropriately and show leadership during emergencies – trainers with experience and heart.

There are many courses on the market but Phil wanted to only teach those he know would benefit his clients, he did not want to train to ‘tick boxes’ but instead wanted to eliminate practices and traditions that were no longer useful in a rapidly changing environment.

New home construction means faster burning materials, often carcinogenic, allowing less time for people to leave a burning building. Technologies would allow him to teach his clients to reduce risk, monitor potential dangers and test rescue equipment.

Phil then sought out the best, most relevant training qualifications available, those that would be of the most use to companies in real time, in real situations, regardless if they were NZQA, skills based, theoretical or custom created.

He knew training was critical for his customers because the ‘unknown’ is the very nature of a dangerous situation and confidence is at the heart of a successful emergency response.

Phil was also aware of the societal changes facing the workplace where people were less willing to take risks, fearful to interfere, or unable to assess what a risk might be. Places with cultural and language barriers, places with elderly, children or vulnerable people that could potentially increase lives at risk in an emergency situation.

He wanted trainers who could reach individuals to move them forward in their training – he knew through personal experience that a group is only as strong as the weakest person. Every individual needs to be skilled in order for the group to be ready to respond.

Phil is proud to provide trustworthy training and leadership excellence that defines the character of all the people who work at Fire Rescue and First Response in order to give your group what it needs to perform successfully in an emergency.