This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Fire-fighters vote to strike
18/10/2002
Deputy Justice Minister Richard Simpson today urged
fire-fighters not to go through with plans for a national
fire strike due to start on the 29
th October.
The Minister called on the Fire Brigades Union to
participate in the independent review of the fire service
and to call off a strike which would "greatly increase the
risk to public safety".
Dr Simpson said:
"I am extremely disappointed that Fire Brigades Union
have voted to strike. I strongly believe that the best way
forward can still be found through the independent review
and not through a damaging and dangerous strike.
"There is no doubt that a strike will greatly increase
the risk to public safety. The Executive has worked closely
with the military and emergency services to put in place
the best possible contingency plans to cope with the fire
strike. However the MOD will be unable to replicate fully
the current firefighting capability of the local authority
fire brigades; the MOD priority will be to minimise, as far
as possible, the danger to human life in responding to
emergency calls..
"I hope that the FBU will urgently reconsider their plan
to strike and will instead cooperate with the independent
review. Of course firefighters should be properly rewarded
for the work that they do and that is why the Independent
Review has been established.
"In the event that a fire strike does take place it will
be vital that the public do all they can to stop fires
occurring in the first place. The advice in the event of a
fire remains the same as it has always been - Get out, stay
out and call 999. You can also take other helpful
precautions such as planning your escape route, buying and
checking smoke alarms and taking extra care when
cooking.
"In the next week the Executive will continue to work
with public and private bodies to ensure they are taking
all the necessary precautions. We also intend to make more
information available to the public to emphasise the
vitally important fire safety messages."
There will be 110 Green Goddesses deployed across
Scotland during the fire strike.
Advice on how to prevent fires in your home is available
at www.scotland.gov.uk/fire
Employers can also check the General Workplace Fire
Precautions required by law at the above web address