This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
Members will stage a 24-hour strike between 9am Thursday 12 June and 9am Friday 13 June and a seven-hour strike from 10am on Saturday 21 June.
As with previous periods of strike action, contingency arrangements are being put in place by the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. Non-FBU members will attend life-critical incidents such as house fires or road traffic incidents. Fire control will operate as normal so people should continue to dial 999 in an emergency.
Householders and businesses are being asked to assist the fire service during this time by not taking any unnecessary risks and taking extra care when cooking or discarding of cigarettes. In addition people are being asked to check that their smoke alarms are working.
A range of fire safety information for homes and businesses can be found at www.iwight.com/fire and also on the fire service’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/iwfire. A number of fire safety videos can be found on the council’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/iwcouncil.
Steve Apter, chief fire officer, said:
“The strike action comes at a busy time for us here on the Island with the start of the Isle of Wight Festival but I’d like to reassure people that we have contingency plans in place to maintain fire cover, albeit at a reduced level.”
Councillor Phil Jordan, Executive member for public safety, added:
“It is disappointing that national strike action has once again been announced but I know that our fire and rescue service is working hard to provide response and assistance to life critical emergency calls during periods of industrial action. I would ask people to be extra vigilant during the strikes as fire service responses will be limited.”
