Firefighters fought hard and long for their pay deal

However, the plans have not been welcomed by all. Firefighter Paul Embery from Islington, London, explains why he thinks the plans are a step towards cuts.

This is an agenda for cuts, there is no doubt about that. The devil will obviously be in the detail.

I think John Prescott's speech was quite vague, but there is no doubt the emphasis is on saving money rather than public safety.

It is clearly a white paper that has been drawn up by people with no experience of the workings of the Fire Service at all. It's quite frightening.

I think it's absolutely right and proper that firefighters get a decent pay increase for the job that they do now and we've never been against true modernisation, whether it's been investing in the service or giving us new equipment.

We're quite happy to do that, but what we are against is modernisation dressed up as cuts.

Safety implications

There is no doubt at all that the government's agenda here is to have an inferior fire service with fewer firefighters, fewer engines, fewer fire stations.

All of that has serious implications for the safety of the public and for the safety of firefighters on stations.

Our service is one of the best performing public services in the whole country. We don't want done to our service what they've done to other services in the name of modernisation.