MANY will no doubt have seen in the news that we are currently recruiting an Emergency Fire Crew in case of industrial action and this is provoking quite a debate.
The recruitment is in response to a ballot that is currently taking place, that could see firefighters across the country take part in a national strike. It is a dispute between the unions and the Government over pensions, and not between GMFRS and our firefighters.
However, having said that, it does have a serious implication for us, as it may mean we have no fire cover. So we are trying to put a contingency plan in place for the worst case scenario.
People will remember the Armed Forces with Green Goddesses stepping in to help during previous industrial disputes (a decade ago now), but they are no longer available to us. So, we have to come up with another option, and indeed we have a legal obligation to do so - but of course we also want to keep the public as safe as possible in all circumstances.
It is something every fire service is facing - though every fire...
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