Fire fighters will not need to go through additional security vetting for the APEC Ministerial and Leaders meetings in Auckland in September.

APEC Task Force spokesperson Peter Parussini said today that fire fighters, like aviation security, defence, police and other emergency service personnel, went through a security vetting procedure as part of their job applications.

“Fire fighters have already been through a security check and carry their identification on them and the APEC Task Force won’t be requiring them to do so again and carry special accreditation,” Mr Parussini said.

The Fire Service was being paid by the Task Force to have two or three firefighters rostered on at key APEC venues, such as the Auckland Museum, Auckland Town Hall and key Leader hotels. This also happened at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Auckland in 1995.

“Those rostered on for this duty will wear APEC accreditation but they won’t need to go through the security vetting process that everyone else will to get it.”

He said the fire service and other emergency services would have just as good, if not better, access around Auckland to deal with call outs during the APEC meetings.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>