Fire Services Prepare for 4-Hour Strike

Tomorrow at 12 noon, firefighters across England and Wales will walk out for four hours over pensions.

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Fire services across the country have been warning people to take extra care on Wednesday 25 September, in order to ensure that the limited fire cover will not be stretched beyond capacity. Local authorities have a legal responsibility to provide fire cover, even during a strike of Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members, and a number of people are being provided by contractors to provide cover. However, fire brigades are stressing that this cover will not replicate the usual level of service they provide.

The strike has been called following a dispute relating to retirement age. Under the government’s proposals, firefighters would have to work until the age of 60 in order to receive a full pension entitlement, but there is a real concern that firefighters who work on the front line into their late 50s could be putting their lives at risk, as well as those of the public. FBU general secretary, Matt Wrack, said last week:

It is ludicrous to expect firefighters to fight fires and rescue families in their late-50s: the lives of the general public and firefighters themselves will be endangered.

A recent government study was also referred to, which found that half of current firefighters between 50-54 are no longer able to meet the fitness standard required, with this figure rising to two thirds for those 55 and over.

FBU members were balloted on strike action from 18 July to 29 August, and around 78 percent voted in favour.

Fire services will each be employing their own strategy, but London Fire Brigade is a typical example of the types of advice being offered. Members of the public were advised that firefighters may not be able to attend any of the following incidents:

• Grass fires and other outdoor fires such as trees, hedges, or undergrowth alight;
• Rubbish fires (including fires in bins and skips) and fires on open ground;
• Large animal rescues (these will be referred to the RSPCA);
• People shut in lifts (owners of buildings are responsible for ensuring arrangements are in place to release people from faulty lifts);
• Flooding;
• Automatic fire alarms — a fire engine will only be sent when the fire has been confirmed by a 999 call.

Firefighters in the capital went on strike in 2010, so London’s plans are likely to be among the best prepared. The majority of the other 45 fire services in England and three in Wales will not have been on strike since 2002/3 when disputes across the country saw so-called “green goddesses” manned by armed forces on the streets. These have since been sold off by the MoD and armed forces will only be called upon in the event of a major incident, according to BBC reports.

In other developments:

• The majority of firefighters will be available to volunteer in the event of a major incident such as a terror attack;
• Wales firefighters will march on the Welsh Assembly during the strike;
• Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service has backed down after initially stating that firefighters would not allowed access to fire stations for the duration o Wednesday’s shift. Bucks FRS has now come into line with other services and will allow firefighters to work up to 12 noon and return to work from 4:00 p.m.
• Surrey County Council has also been criticized for banning striking firefighters from the duration of their shift on Wednesday. The council has invested in cover from a firm called Specialist Group International whose staff have completed a 17-week training course in firefighting including using breathing apparatus.

There are still hopes that the government and FBU could be able to come to a last-minute agreement, however, this looks unlikely, and businesses and homeowners are advised to check smoke detectors and take extra care throughout Wednesday.