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I totally agree with Simons comments,luckily I haven't needed the Fire Brigade yet .. but have been grateful for the services of the Police & Ambulance,following a serious RTA,where,as a pedestrian,I was hit by a car, ... none of them get anything like a fair reward for the difference they ALL make to ALL of our lives!

I was watching a motoring programme the other week (Top Gear,I think),trialling a new "super duper" motorbike,with the London Ambulance Service,rather frighteningly,one Paramedic says he has been physically pushed off his bike,by members of the public .. not once,but twice ... in fact on the second occassion,the scum went back to him & apologised,saying "Sorry mate,I thought you were a Copper" !

Makes you think,doesn't it ?

I don't know so maybe someone out there can tell me; what is the weekly take home pay of a Marine or soldier who has been or is crawling around the mountains of Afghanistan; the deserts of Kuwait or the jungles of Africa. He is never sure whether or not he is going to return home again and he doesn't have a trade union to fight for his cause.
Now before I get my head chewed off; I respect the firemen for the hazardous job they do and I admire their professionalism and I agree that £21,000 is not adequate recompense for their labour. What wories me is where is the extra £10,000 per man going to come from. I would be more than happy if the ONE BILLION POUNDS PER YEAR THAT IS SPENT ON IMMIGRANTS was made available for all the emergency services.

Wully,

Wouldn't we all mate ? .... in reality,the taxes we pay & the "promises" made by our elected representatives,never seem to match up ... always seems that Politicians will squander "our" money on any cause from which they think they will derive any benefit,or which will make them "look good"

That's probably also why no Politician has ever been elected because of their "saintly" attributes,but who are more than willing to bask in the reflected glory of others (Mother Theresa) for instance, hoping that by association,we will think they too are "good" people ... they really do think we're that stupid !

Kipling had it dead right in "Tommy" & the same can be applied to the Emergency Services !

Shoulderholster,
The issues i dont understand are;A highly trained firefighter
decides to withdraw his/her labour because his/her wage is less than he/she
should be recieving for doing such a highly technical and dangerous job,for which,
by the way,we are all extremely grateful.(Also like the majority of the country i agree
that our emergency services are not paid enough)
In steps good old Royal/Tommy/Jack to carry out firefighting duties in obsolete vehicles
using out of date equipment and with very little ,if any, training.
My "I dont understand"problem is:Just how many bloody lives do we have to loose this time before our marvelous cults in the government see sense,both from joe public,
and from our armed forces personnel,who will be doing the job of firefighting for a lot less than a firefighter.
Sorry mate ,maybe i am a little bit thick,but "I dont understand"





Aye The Happy Wanderer

They should all sit down and have a Kims Game or Military knowledge quiz, followed by a round Robin of Cam & Concealment, Target indication, Judgeing distance and AFV recognition. All in the pissing rain with wet kit on. Then they might realise how lucky they are!

It does'nt make sence to me. They knew what they were getting themselves in for when the 'signed the dotted line'. If you dont like the pay dont join simirlarly if you dont like the danger element dont join!.

Happy Wanderer
I'm sorry mate but I must be even "thicker",I don't understand what you don't understand.
Your original post was (to me) a snidey attack on Firefighters,now you seem to be supporting us in your latest post.

Confused of Yorkshire.

I think like most others that they do deserve a better rate of pay, but they could give the pay review a chance before saying it is crap, and anyway 40%, there is no way they will get that and a more realistic bid would probably attract more sympathy from Joe Public. I know it is a 45+ hour week but generally done in three days with other days off and if there is no night time shout they do get to kip. Friends of mine who were fire fighters generally were well ahead on the old DIY on their days off, if they weren't working as pall bearers for the local undertaker.

Well its nice to see most people have got the jist of why firefighters are going on strike.Yes the money is crap but I love the job,there s not much better than being able to say to yourself that you have made a difference to someones life.I also like most other firefighters have a second job,on which I pay tax and N.I.,anyone who lives "down south" has to just to make ends meet.Ive got 4 daughters who rely on me bringing home a decent wage to support them.Last week I worked 68 hours on both jobs when I would rather be at home with the kids or letting my wife get a decent job which she wants.Well thats my first posting on the discussion page and no doubt it wont be my last.
P.S. Dear Happy Wanderer whilst we where in the Corps we were not always fighting politicians wars we had to sit around doing training and PT until the shout came in "HELP" well in the FIRE SERVICE we still do that but we get turned out a bit more regular.

I for one sopport the fire service 100% in there fight for more pay, people do not always appreciate the risks they take until it happens to one of their own, I dont know if it is already integrated within their pay structure,But I feel there should be a risks bonus built into any pay agreement that is drawn up, ie! the more dangerous the situation the
higher the bonus,

GOOD LUCK Boys

Aye

John_D

Hi, I'm with the Brigade, wholehartedly, there are'nt many of us who would like to extract anyone from a bad motorway crash, burning house, or a train smash. Not my idea of a fun day out. These guys do it as a matter of course with little or no compaint!
However, don't forget that ALL the emergency services are badly paid, under valued. and are in need of a better deal... Who pays for it? Thats not too hard to work out? Charity begins at home.I think you know what I mean.(A good start would be for us to pay our MPs a little less)!
To the one or two of you, out there, who say "They knew what you were joining" I say, Of course but they did not expect to be pissed on with each change of government.What is worse is that the emergency services, in some cases, are looked upon as second class citizens until the shit hits the fan that is, then by god the world and his bloody wife want to know!
Sleep safely but spare a thought for that poor sod who is out there risking his life so that some complete stranger may continue with his, Because in essence that is exactly what he is doing and what price can you put on a life.
Aye

There has to be another way.My whole point of saying "I Dont Understand"was and still
is,,,,,the firefighter does a good job and deserves a decent rate of pay,but,by going on strike they are putting peoples lives at risk,not just the publics lives,but also the poor bloody serviceman/woman,who will be stepping in to do a job that they are not trained
to do,and will be doing it for a damn site less pay.As usual amid all the broo ha ha they are all but forgotten.In a previous message someone has written" Sleep safe but spare a
thought for the poor sod who is out there" Please remember that when our firefighters are not out there,then the poor sod that is will be trying his/her best to do the job for less
pay than th
e firefighters are getting now


The happy wanderer

I was talking to a firefighter, who has been in the job for about 25 years. He's a calm, level headed kind of guy, who thinks that whilst they aren't paid anything like what they deserve, 40% 'no compromise' was 'kicking the arse out of it'.

Yes, they have a pool table and yes, they have reasonable relaxation facilities, but what would you expect them to do whilst waiting to serve the community? You can only drill for so long. Maybe they should light some fires, so they can put them out again..........oh yes, they already do that as well.

Their life consists of a high percentage of routine interjected with moments of sheer horror, stress etc. Those that did 70's tour in N.I etc will know how that feels.

I really do sympathise with all the people in the emergency services, and I think they are all undervalued. Maybe the firefighter has been taken for granted - I mean, they're always there when you call, pulling joyriders and piss heads out of their wrecks.

They shouldn't have been backed into this corner in the first place!

I just hope that we don't have a serious situation / disaster followed by the "I told you so" incriminations, which will do no good for anybody.

To Charlie and the Happy W
Yes maybe we are put peoples lives at risk but if you think that if a shout comes in and its a "persons reported" we are not going to attend then I think Joe Public is very blinkered.Myself and the rest of my watch will be off the picket line like greased s**t.We can still use the pumps and will probably turn up before the dreaded green goddesses.We wont be getting paid for it but thats the way we are.

Wouldn't it be a jolly jape to lock the loonies in the house of comedians and flick swan vestas at the woodwork!
See how quickly the payrise comes through lads.
Apparently fatty two jags thinks that the Govt can cope, so that's all right then.

Must go, the ethers wearing off.