Soldiers prepare for action in 1995

Peter Dowd, chairman of the fire authority, said he was looking at the possibility of charging striking workers the extra money it would cost the region to bring in the army.

He said: "There is a difference between the normal cost of paying for fire cover and the cost of bringing in the army.

"We are looking at the possibility of passing on this extra cost to the firefighters after the dispute."

However Neil Thompson, regional chairman of the Fire Brigade Union, described the plan as "outrageous."

Services on stand-by

Both sides blamed each other for the breakdown of the peace negotiations and it now appears almost certain the service will be disrupted by a walk-out for the first time in five years.

About 500 soldiers and RAF personnel are on stand-by to provide cover if the walk-out goes ahead on 13 July.

We would not have women in the fire service if it had not been for the efforts of the FBU

Neil Thompson, Fire Brigade Union

The dispute centres on plans by the Merseyside Fire Authority to change recruitment policy.

Mr Thompson said: "The fire authority has refused to draw back from the the change in policy.

"The employers have shown a lack of understanding of industrial relations and the facts of this dispute."

However Mr Dowd said: "The union walked out of the meeting after half an hour.

Ethnic minorities

"We offered to go to arbitration and they refused point blank to accept the offer.

"I am disappointed that the union are not prepared to go to arbitration."

The bitter row began after the authority proposed allowing non-uniformed staff to apply for posts traditionally earmarked for experienced firefighters.

Mr Dowd said the move would lay the ground for more women and representatives of ethnic minorities to gain senior posts in the service.

He accused the union of being "male dominated" and insisted the posts, which could be in office management or information technology, did not require operational experience.

Slim hopes

However Mr Thompson said: "We would not have women in the fire service if it had not been for the efforts of the FBU."

The slim hopes of averting the strike now rest on a meeting between union leaders and the employers' National Joint Council in London on Wednesday.

Almost 83 per cent of Merseyside's 1,400 officers voted for the stoppage.

Mr Dowd added: "Preparations for strike are in place and if the stoppage goes ahead those plans will come into action."

Soldiers tackled fires on Merseyside during the previous firefighters' strike which began in 1995 and lasted for nine months.