Cleaners and HR staff are being trained to respond to emergency calls ahead of a possible firefighters’ strike, according to reports.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) are being balloted for strike action, which is set to close on 30 January. Union leaders are reported to be confident of reaching the threshold for a walkout.
If firefighters do vote in favour of industrial action, the UK will see its first national strike on pay from fire services since 2003.
According to The Telegraph, backroom and service staff will bolster frontline services in the event of strikes going ahead.
This is said to include those working in finance and HR departments, building safety, cleaners, or “anyone else who is prepared to step forward”, according to chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, Mark Hardingham.
It comes after The Independent reported that the military is being drafted in to cover the expected strike, with an RAF base on the outskirts of London set to be used for soldiers and fire engines.
Speaking with The Telegraph, Mr Hardingham said: “These are members of the fire and rescue service who might not be trained firefighters but can be trained up to provide basic level of cover.
“The fire service would still carry the liability, so you can’t just take anyone. They need a basic level of fitness and they need to pass a health assessment. There is a programme of training lasting on average two weeks, and not everyone will pass that.
“A lot of services are already doing this now.”
Fire services across the country are also said to be establishing “contingency crews”, through recruiting temporary and agency staff from private companies to provide cover for those striking.
Mr Hardingham added that contracts with large outsourcing firms, external agencies and companies were for firefighters “with a limited degree of training who can come in to provide cover.”
Previous strikes from ambulance and health service workers have involved armed service personnel being brought in to fill gaps in the workforce. This reliance on armed forces as contingency workers has drawn criticism from army chiefs.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, chief of the defence staff, said last month: “We’re not spare capacity, we’re busy and we’re doing lots of things on behalf of the nation.
“We’ve got to focus on our primary role. It would be slightly perilous to rely on defence to be doing all of these things as the ultimate backstop.”
