Fire protection for urban and peri-urban areas is provided by the New Zealand Fire Service. This nationwide organisation was established by the Fire Service Act 1975 from the various urban fire brigades in existence at the time. The Fire Service Act nationalised the service and provided the statutory authority required to fight and prevent fire and to respond to other emergencies, including hazardous substance incidents and motor-vehicle collisions. There are mixture of career fire districts, covering major towns and cities, and volunteer fire brigades, covering smaller towns and communities. Each district and brigade is headed by a Chief Fire Officer (CFO), who report via their Area Commander and Regional Commander to the National Commander, the chief operational firefighter of the entire Fire Service. The National Commander reports to the Chief Executive who in turn reports to the NZFSC. The roles of National Commander and Chief Executive may be performed by one person if suitably qualified for both roles.