Page 1 of Firefighters : do they deserve a pay increase of 40% ?

....in this case our sad excuse for a fire service.

40% they want, and now they strike because they don`t get it. How irresponsible and stupid is this making the service look! For a bunch of people who spend 90% of their shift sleeping they are demanding too much. OK when they get a job it can be big and dangerous but lets face it, they are few and far between. Police & ambulance services face these situations more oftern so why do they not get more?

They now plan to strike on bonfire night, kiss goodbye to your local fireworks display, without the fireservice about the PL insurance will probbley be invalid. Nice work `ladz`.

I hope they feel the guilt when they see inexperienced and ill equipt soldiers die doing the same job for even less money. I hope they can`t sleep at night when they hear of people trapped dying in cars because the jaws of life are not about.

I hope they get nothing, 0% exactly.

Stick that in your fire and smoke it.

A very uptight & very annoyed....
MK

***Title edited by moderator to encourage some debate****

This item was edited on Friday, 18th October 2002, 22:06

Well lets hope you never need them...

Who the fire brigade or the Ill-equipt poorly paid soldiers?

So you`d do their job then, would you ?

Let`s get this into perspective - they wish to be paid as professionals. IT consultants get paid £30,000 a year, the same that firefighters are claiming, and yet the former aren`t exactly risking their lives every day, are they ?

All the FBU is asking for is recognition for a specialist profession, a real one that involves people risking their lives, in the majority of cases because of the stupidity of their fellow human beings (not too dissimilar to the armed forces then, really...)

I can`t belive you are so shallow as to believe they spend all their time in bed asleep : so what if they do...they are at the whim of every person`s actions (some of them fatal) 24-7.

As the previous poster said : let`s hope you never need `em...

I support the firefighters` claim.

This item was edited on Friday, 18th October 2002, 22:08

The firefighters claim is a joke. They have so little support I almost feel sorry for them. I`;m not saying they dont deserve a rise, but 40% is a joke. the firemen dont risk their lives everyday, on a busy week they will get 2 calls at most stations (excluding inner cities) where their lives are in any sort of danager at all. Even then only 3 or so will be risking their lives, the others will be spraying water or foam from a distance.

"I can`t belive you are so shallow as to believe they spend all their time in bed asleep "
Well they do little else on an average night shift. Why are they not out looking for fires like the police are out looking for burglers? The ambulance service doesnt let its members sleep the whole nights if they dont get a call. Why should the fireservice be any different?

24-7, the whole world is 24-7. Nurses, paramedics, police the list is endless. They dont strike, indeed the police are not allowed to!! But the poor firemen, tucked up in bed getting ready for their second job (posing for cheesy calanders at £4,000-£8,000+ a year) waiting for their next 4 days off in a row. if their pay is so bad why are they overwealmed with applications then?!

The only people with their lives at risk here is the public and the armed forces doing a job they are ill trained, and ill prepared for.

I too hope I never need them, indeed, they will probbly be `on strike` when sods law says I do.

The problem is not about whether or not the firefighters deserve a pay-raise (and I for one beleive they do), but how they`re going about trying to get it. When the only option they`ll consider is a 40% increase, it is hard to see how they expect to get that.
I`m no expert in these matters, but I believe that inflation is currently at about 2%, and hasn`t been over 5% for many years, so 40% seems unacceptably high. Perhaps a better idea, if they would consider such a thing, would be phased increases over the next few years taking their pay up gradually until it was at a more appropriate level.

My mates a Fireman try telling him and the other 88% who are in favour of a rise that you dont think thay deserve it and be ready for a short sharp kick in the knackers, I for one would begrudge these guys a raise, thay put there own lives at risk to save others and thats good enough for me! "On a busy week thay will get 2 calls at most where there lives are in danager", I think someone`s living in cloud cookoo land but then you will never talk sence to someone who doesnt want to hear it.

For what its gonna cost Id sooner have well trained guys doing the job than ill trained, ill prepared army guys!

I have no doubt that the firefighters deserve more pay - they do a crucial and dangerous job.

HOWEVER, 40% is totally unacceptable in one go, a sensible rolling increase based on experience should be implemented over a number of years.

If £30k is decided as an "acceptable" wage, then nurses, teachers and other public sector staff (myself included) will also be looking for increases 10 times the rate of inflation to make up for the poor increases we`ve had for years.

My other question is, why Green Goddesses?

The government own the fire engines and other equipment, the military should take over fire stations in these situations and man modern equipment.

This item was edited on Friday, 18th October 2002, 23:21

Exactly, but until our firemen become reasonable we are not going to get this. With regards to call outs I`ve seen our local station go out twice on blues in the past 17 days. Funny that.

Other people put their lives at risk. Nurses (dealing with STD`s etc), Factory workers (dealing with heavy dangerous equiptment), Ambulance Service (many get assulted each year as well as STD`s etc), Police (see ambulance workers but increase number of assults).

Sleep most of the time, have second jobs, are allowed to strike when others are not. If they want more money, they do more work.

Infact thats unfair, I`m not toatally against a rise but @ 40% they can take a flying jump. I`d rather take the risk than give into the pressure these guys are trying to put.

Well said Chris Cox . Though the reason they do not use the other equiptment is because of the traing needed to use it.

I do hope, however, that no public money, land, station, equiptment etc. is used by the firemen to hold meetings, make posters etc. for their cause.