Shropshire firefighters to go on four-hour strike over pensions

The Fire Brigades Union notified all Fire and Rescue Authorities, across England and Wales, that a strike is to take place between noon and 4pm over a pensions dispute.

John Redmond, Chief Fire Officer for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We have been planning for potential strike action for some time and feel that we are fully prepared. However, I would appeal to the public to take extra care to keep themselves and their families safe.

“It is predominantly our wholetime fire stations, in Shrewsbury and Telford, that will be impacted by the planned strike. Our part time, or On-call, staffed fire stations, which are largely based in the more rural areas of Shropshire, are less likely to be affected.”

This strike will result in the Service having even greater reliance on its On-call staff based in the Telford and Shrewsbury areas. Mr Redmond appealed for the normal employers of the On-call firefighters to be even more flexible than they already are, when releasing their staff to protect their communities during any period of strike action.

“Businesses are also being asked to play their part in reducing risk during these periods, by further helping to reduce the number of false alarms, caused by faulty automatic fire alarm systems, which require a response from our fire crews”, said Mr Redmond

He pointed out that the Service’s Fire Control, which deals with the 999 calls in Shropshire, will be unaffected by strike action.

“Our administration staff will be working as normal, however some business and community fire prevention work is likely to be cut back,” he said.

“We are asking people to only call 999 if they really do need a fire engine. Our priority is to respond to calls where a life may be at risk or someone needs to be rescued. If we respond to non-emergency calls then those most in need could be at risk.

“A non-emergency call could be to someone who is locked out of their house or where debris has fallen into the road. There are other agencies and organisations that can help in this instance”.

“We do find ourselves in an unusual situation where we must prioritise our calls for those who are most in need of our assistance. However, I must emphasise that you should still call 999 in an emergency so that an experienced control room operator can deal with your situation. You must not try and call your local fire station directly,” said Mr Redmond.

For information on fire safety visit www.shropshirefire.gov.uk