CHESHIRE Fire bosses are urging residents to 'take extra care' today, Wednesday, as firefighters go on strike in a row over pensions.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) are set to strike for four hours between 12 and 4pm following the government failing to enter talks with them after increasing firefighters’ pension age to 60.

A spokesman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said it is confident it is prepared to handle the industrial action and expects to have ‘at least 60 per cent’ of its usual emergency response capacity over the four hours.

He said: “We expect to be able to respond to incidents as we normally would.”
The strikes relate to national issues and action will only be taken by staff that are members of the FBU.

The spokesman added: “However, as we do have less fire engines available we would encourage everyone to take extra care during the strike.

“Please make sure you have a working smoke alarm installed in your home, know exactly how to get out of your home if a fire was to break out and ensure that you take extra care while driving.

“We would also advise people and businesses to avoid doing anything that could increase the risk of a fire breaking out.”