FIREFIGHTERS in North East Lincolnshire will strike next Wednesday.
The Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) announced last night that its operational firefighter members will be taking strike action between noon and 4pm over a pensions' dispute with government.
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer, Richard Hanningan, said: "I fully appreciate the concerns the union has over the proposed changes to pensions and hope that it is able to come to a satisfactory agreement through further discussions with government. We understand how important pensions are to our staff, however the safety of our communities must come first and I am disappointed that members of the union have chosen to take this route.
"We have confidence in our robust plans that will enable us to provide an emergency response service. However, this will be greatly reduced from what we can ordinarily provide and what the public expect," CFO Hannigan added.
There will be no assistance available from Ministry of Defence sources in respect of staff or equipment. However, not all firefighters in the Humberside area will take part in the strike action as not all are members of the union.
At the time of going to press, it was unclear how many would be involved in North East Lincolnshire.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Director of Safety, Chris Blacksell, said: "As there will be fewer fire engines available to attend incidents during periods of industrial action it is even more important that people take extra care to keep themselves and their loved ones safe."
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