Fire and other emergencies almost always require some form of traffic management.  Fire appliances are not small vehicles and simply having one parked outside a building may create a traffic hazard.  Fire Police are often called upon to manage a traffic situation - Shunts, Diversions and Points Duty are used to keep traffic flowing as well as possible and reduce impact on the public at large.

The Fire Service obviously have safety as a very high priority.  Safety of the Fire crews, other emergency services personnel, and the public is usually an area of responsibility for Fire Police - cordons, scene protection and of course traffic related issues being the major areas involved.

There is often a need to set up portable lighting equipment at an emergency scene.  Fire Police can be utilised in this role, leaving qualified Firefighting personnel free to concentrate on their other duties for which they are trained.

All NZFS Personnel are trained in emergency First Aid as a matter of course.  Beyond that, though, in some regions the local Fire Brigade provide a first-response (or co-response) service in support of the local Ambulance service, mainly in situations where it is likely that Ambulance response would be delayed, and where that delay would be life-threatening.  Co / 1st-Responders are trained in first aid to a higher level than other Fire Service personnel, with training provided by the Ambulance services.  This is usually the case in rural areas where professional ambulance response is often seriously delayed, and is a case-by-case arrangement via a Memorandum of Understanding between NZFS and the Ambulance service concerned.

Salvage is the term given to the art of saving property from fire, smoke and water damage that tends to go hand-in-hand with firefighting.  Being a non-firefighting task, Fire Police may be trained to assist in the removal or relocation of personal property, as well as covering items of furniture, appliances etc with salvage sheets if they cannot easily be removed.

Fire Police are often playing the role of 'Canteen' (formerly known as 'K19' in some areas).  This may involve anything from cold-drinks-and-biscuits right through to a full meal at a large incident, depending on local capabilities.

Whilst not a primary function of Fire Police, usually basic training in this area is provided in order that members are prepared to assist as required in an emergency.