Crisis plan is put in motion (From Barry And District News)

Crisis plan is put in motion

BARRY has an emergency plan in place as local fire-fighters vow to strike for the first time in 25 years.

The first stage of industrial action starts on Tuesday when stations across the Vale will remain unmanned for 48 hours.

Fire Brigades Union are threatening a set of strikes from next week until Christmas Eve in a bid to secure a 40% pay increase.

This will leave the army, police and RAF with the daunting task of dealing with call outs - including those during the run up to Halloween and Bonfire Night.

A series of urgent meetings have resulted in South Wales Police and the army co-ordinating the vital cover needed.

But the use of the antiquated Green Goddess fire engines, last seen during the 1977 strike, is causing concern.

They are only 40 throughout Wales, which will provide limited cover, they are old-fashioned, and do not have the apparatus of a modern fire-fighting machine.

They also have no form of communication, and the police have to escort them to and from calls to co-ordinate operations.

Another concern is how the short-staffed police and under-manned armed services will cope with the extra work. Contingen-cy plans have been put in place, but they will find themselves stretched to the limit if a major incident occurs.

It is also accepted that fires which are not life-threatening will not be dealt with as a priority, causing the cost of damage to fire-hit properties to escalate.

However it has been stressed that any major emergency would see a halt to the industrial action.

But despite the concerns, police are urging the public to stay vigilant and not to panic. Assistant Chief Constable David Francis told the News: "Following the announcement on Friday 18 October by the Fire Service on proposals for industrial action, South Wales Police have prepared contingency plans which were drawn up in line with national guidance and in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence and other emergency services.

He added: "The role of the police will be to provide escorts and en-route radio communications for the military fire fighting crews, allowing them to reach scenes of incidents as quickly as possible. Ensuring the safety of the public and the officers remains paramount at all times."