BRITAIN: Troops in ageing Green Goddesses - military fire tenders - were answering 999 calls last night after tens of thousands of firefighters across Britain and Northern Ireland staged a 48-hour walk-out in a dispute over pay.
The first national strike in the service for 25 years began at 6 p.m., with the British government standing firm against the firefighters' 40 per cent pay claim and employers warning of a lengthy dispute.
Just one hour into the strike a 76-year-old woman died in a house fire in Newtown, mid-Wales, police said.
The military made last-minute preparations for the crisis, but there were fears that the Green Goddesses (yellow in Northern Ireland), which have a maximum speed of just 35 m.p.h., would not be able to cope with the expected number of emergency calls.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, claimed the government had been as "reasonable and generous" as possible in dealing with the union's claim, but said "no government on earth" could yield to a 40 per cent demand.
"If we did so, if we said yes to 40 per cent for firefighters, how could we or any government say no to a 40 per cent claim for teachers, or nurses, or police officers? And if we said yes to all, the consequence is so clear that it hardly bears spelling out. After all the hard work to get low inflation, low unemployment, low mortgage rates - the lowest in each case for decades - after all that hard work to stabilise the economy, we would simply wreck it and take this country back to days that I believe we all hope have gone for ever," he said.
In Northern Ireland, Mr Des Browne, the minister responsible for public safety, called on community leaders to encourage people not to exploit this dangerous situation. "We hope to be able to respond to all emergencies in every community," he said. "It is our expectation that all communities in Northern Ireland will understand that it is in their interest to accept that response."
There are fears that sinister elements could use the strike to lure military vehicles into traps. Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland, whose PSNI officers will be working to provide support for the temporary fire crews, said any hoax calls to the emergency services would be thoroughly investigated and dealt with.
"If anyone's house is on fire it doesn't matter who is manning the fire brigade," he said.
Union leaders held almost four hours of talks with Deputy Prime Minister, Mr John Prescott, and his officials, but mainly to talk about the prospect of strikers leaving picket lines to help tackle an emergency.
Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary Mr Andy Gilchrist said firemen and women were "the most extraordinary humanitarians" and there was every possibility they would leave picket lines in the event of a "catastrophic event".
But Mr Gilchrist warned there would be difficulties because firefighters would not be at their usual place of work when emergency calls were received. - (PA)