by Emma Needle

SPA firefighters are facing up to the possibility of strikes over pay and are urging townsfolk to get behind them if action is taken.

Members of Droitwich Spa Fire Station's green watch say that the last thing they want is a strike but if that is what's needed to get the pay increase they feel they deserve then that's what will happen.

The Fire Brigade Union is currently in talks with the Government in a bid to get a 39 per cent increase for the country's firefighters, bringing their annual salary up to £30,000.

If the Government does not put forward a proposed increase within the next two weeks, union members will be balloted.

Members of green watch say they are not being greedy with the increase.

A watch spokesman said: "The last strike action of this sort was 25 years ago when a new salary system was put forward. For about the last 15 years that salary system has not worked because our job has changed so much.

"We now have to do so many other things besides fighting fires including teaching school children and residents about fire safety, first aid, computer work, we have to deal with chemicals and then there's the ever increasing risk of terrorist attacks."

If strike action is agreed the whole of the Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade will take discontinuous strike action, where they will strike for different amounts of time on a number of days.

If there is a strike the Green Goddesses look set to be sent to the town and the Army will then deal with fires while the strikes are taking place.

"We really don't want to upset the public by taking action, we need their support," said the spokesman.

"Currently the average trained firefighter takes home £1,100 a month, which doesn't increase until you have done 15 year's service, most of us couldn't even buy a house in Droitwich Spa with three and a half times our wages.

"Most of the men here joined the brigade because they wanted to help save lives so, of course, the last thing we want to do is to strike but it may be the only option left," he added.