Shropshire firefighters to go on four hour strike today
Shropshire firefighters will today take strike action between noon and 4pm in support of a campaign against changes to pensions.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union will be taking strike action across all fire and rescue services in England and Wales against the changes proposed by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Shropshire residents and businesses are being asked to only call 999 if they really do need a fire engine during the four hour period.
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.”
“We have put in place contingency arrangements to provide reduced emergency cover for the whole county. This has involved the staffing of fire engines with, for example wholetime firefighters who are not taking industrial action.
“This 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 employers of On-call firefighters to be even more flexible than they already are, when releasing staff to protect their communities during 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.
The Service’s Fire Control, which deals with 999 calls in Shropshire, will be unaffected by strike action.
