Fire bosses seek volunteers in case of strike

UNTRAINED “contingency” crews are being recruited by a Yorkshire fire service as a back-up strategy should frontline firefighters go out on strike later this summer.

Yesterday South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) launched a recruitment drive for contingency firefighters, who will be on a zero-hours contract but paid £10 per hour for training and £150 for any shift worked.

They will only be put to work if full-time firefighters from the Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU) take industrial action in a dispute with the Government centred over proposed changes to pensions for staff.

A strike ballot has yet to be called by the union.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The fire service said it was seeking applicants with a “good level of physical fitness” for a “fire and rescue operative” role to “staff fire appliances and attend emergency incidents”.

The advertisement also called for drivers and pump operators, who should have an LGV licence and more than 200 hours of LGV driving experience.

In the job advertisement, SYFR said: “The reason for this recruitment is to provide sufficient cover for SYFR in the event of a strike by firefighters.

“Whilst SYFR respect the right of staff to undertake industrial action, there is a legal duty placed upon the fire authority to provide emergency cover to the public they serve.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A spokesman for the service said yesterday: “This is a national dispute between the FBU and central Government.

“We understand our staff are in an extremely difficult position, but we have a legal obligation to ensure we can continue to provide an emergency response service throughout any national strike.

“We hope not to have to use our contingency team, and would only do so as a last resort.

“We call on the Government and the FBU to try to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The statement added: “If the contingency team were needed, we have confidence that we will target people with the right skills, and provide them with a suitable level of training, to enable them to undertake the tasks we will be asking of them.”

It is understood that the service will also be writing to recently-retired firefighters and managers, asking them to work should a strike be announced.

During the last firefighters’ strike in South Yorkshire, in 2009 and 2010, fire service managers provided emergency cover on call-outs.

Traditionally, the Government has mobilised the Army during fire service strikes, with Green Goddess appliances being manned by soldiers during previous walkouts.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, this is no longer possible – because of legislation passed following the last national firefighters’ strike in 2002 and 2003.

Yesterday, a spokesman for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said that it would not be advertising for contingency fire crews, and said it already had put “plans in place to deal with such an event”. The spokesman would not comment further on what those plans are.

Managers at neither North Yorkshire nor Humberside fire and rescue services were available for comment.