Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people to again take extra care when firefighters go out on strike tomorrow.

The four-hour walkout between 10am and 2pm by members of the Fire Brigades’ Union will be the fourth in an on-going national dispute with the Government over pension reform.

Crews at ten of Wiltshire’s 24 fire stations will be unavailable to respond to incidents during the strike, with firefighters based in Trowbridge, Melksham, Warminster, Chippenham, Pewsey, Calne
Swindon, Stratton, Westlea and Salisbury all out of action.

The Service is confident it will have contingency plans in place to maintain cover across the county using on-call firefighters and alternative locations as appropriate.

Deputy chief fire officer John Aldridge said: “During the strike, we will still be responding to 999 calls, but we will have a reduction in available resources and, as such, it might take us a little longer than usual to arrive at an incident. We are therefore asking the public to take extra steps to reduce the risk of a fire breaking out in their home or business.”

“This strike goes over lunchtime, so we would ask people to take particular care when cooking – half of all fires in the home start in the kitchen. The best advice we can give is for everyone to ensure they have a smoke alarm in their home and to check the battery is working.”

Mr Aldridge also urged drivers to take extra care while on the roads: “A significant part of our emergency response is to road traffic collisions, so while we would always ask drivers to be cautious, that message is even more important at this time”, he said.

“Always drive to the conditions – slow down if it is raining or foggy, never drink and drive, and be aware of what is going on around you. Arriving a few minutes late at your destination is preferable to not arriving at all.”