Fire and Rescue Authority stands down on 'County Guard'

Plans to recruit and train local people to act as emergency fire crew if fire-fighters in Greater Manchester go on strike have been halted after a decision by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) not to ballot for strike action in the immediate future.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, which employs more than 1700 fire-fighters in 41 fire stations across the county, revealed it was ‘standing down’ its immediate planning for potential industrial action as a result.

The organisation had begun recruitment of emergency fire crew and control room operators last month to ensure fire cover remained in place in the event of an all out strike and was due to begin training those selected on Monday.

The Service has not ruled out stepping up action to implement the plan again though if the national dispute around pension reform points to industrial action by members of the FBU in the future. Colleagues in UNISON and Unite are due to reveal the outcome of ballots over this issue this month.

Deputy County Fire Officer Jim Owen, who has led Operation County Guard on behalf of the Service, explained: “The Fire and Rescue Authority has a statutory duty to have a plan in place to keep people as safe as possible in the event our staff take industrial action and with the national day of action originally planned for November 30, we had started to put that plan in place.

“However, following an announcement by the Government and a new offer around public sector pensions yesterday, we have decided to stand down for now. This doesn’t mean we won’t go ahead in the future if plans for strikes are unveiled by the FBU in the future. Our main and almost only priority in this is keeping people safe.”

Mr Owen added that the Service was in the process of contacting those people who had come forward to be emergency fire crew and control room operators to let them know training was not going ahead for now.

He added: “I’d like to personally thank everyone who showed interest in working with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. I would ask them to bear with us as although that opportunity is on hold for now, there is a chance it will become available again, perhaps in the very near future. That said, our hope is it will be not be necessary. I know they will be disappointed, but that is unfortunately down to the fluidity of the situation we find ourselves in. It would be unacceptable to spend public money carrying out this training when the threat of industrial action has abated for now.

“I know lots of people have strong opinions on working in strike situations and on that topic I’d like to reiterate that County Guard is not about questioning the right of our staff to strike, it is simply about making sure local people remain as safe as possible if they do.”