Fire and Emergency's shooting down claims staffing in Auckland has hit a crisis point

The Professional Firefighters Union says there were 23 gaps in firefighter coverage around the region last weekend, putting five trucks out of commission.

It blames under investment in pay and poor working conditions for a lack of interest by prospective workers and a loss of staff.

But Fire and Emergency Auckland region manager Ron Devlin says only one firefighter was absent yesterday - and all trucks were available.

Devlin says they expect some staff to be absent on any given day for sick or annual leave, and there's always contingency plans in place.