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EDITIONS
Wednesday, 13 November, 2002, 18:54 GMT
Scotland's fire strike preparations
Fire engine
Talks over the pay dispute have broken down
The military operation to provide cover for Scotland's striking firefighters will be co-ordinated from Stirling.

Operation Fresco is being run by the Army from the headquarters of 51 Brigade.

The armed forces will have just a fifth of the manpower and equipment used by the country's fire brigades.

BBC News Online Scotland details how the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force will provide cover in each of the country's eight fire brigade areas.

Click on the links for information about your region:
Central
Dumfries and Galloway
Fife
Grampian
Highlands & Islands
Lothian & Borders
Strathclyde
Tayside


Central:

The area is being covered by nine Green Goddesses operated by Royal Navy personnel.

Central would normally be staffed by 196 full-time firefighters and 150 retained personnel, along with 70 control staff, 14 duty officers and 19 day duty officers.

The retained units attached to three of the area's whole-time stations, in Stirling, BoNess and Alloa, will not be working to avoid confrontation.

Volunteer stations at Callendar and Tillicoultry will be operating normally within their own area, but unlikely to cross into any other station's territory.

Dumfries and Galloway:

Two Green Goddesses manned by Army personnel will provide cover in Dumfries and Galloway.

The area usually has 106 full-time firefighters and 195 retained firefighters.

Dumfries and the surrounding area are expected to bear the brunt of the strike as all the full-time crews are based in the town.

Near-normal cover is expected to be provided in the outlying areas - including towns like Stranraer and Annan - as they are covered by retained crews.

Fife:

Eight Green Goddesses will be available in Fife, where services will be operated by the Navy.

The Kingdom's six full-time stations and eight retained stations are normally home to 390 full-time firefighters, 112 retained firefighters and 20 control room staff.

Grampian:

Managers expect that only a handful of the 352 uniformed firefighters in Grampian will work during the dispute.

However, they believe that cover will be provided from most of the area's retained stations, with the exception of Kintore. The region has 478 retained firefighters.

Eight Green Goddesses, operated by the RAF, will be available in the Grampian area - six in Aberdeen and one each in Elgin and Peterhead.

Fire brigade management said they would try to respond to all emergencies, even when lives are not at risk, although life-threatening fires would be the priority.

Highlands & Islands:

The RAF will be providing most of the military cover for the Highlands and Islands.

Five crews will be available, with two Green Goddesses stationed in Inverness and one each in Dingwall, Fort William and Stornoway.

Other smaller vehicles will be stationed in Fort William, Dingwall and Inverness, where basic cutting equipment for road accidents will be based.

The Highlands and Islands has 152 full-time firefighters, including control room staff, along with 550 part-time retained firefighters and 900 volunteers.

All but one of the 34 retained stations are controlled by the FBU, but Firemaster Brian Murray believes retained and volunteer crews will turn out for local emergencies where lives are at risk.

Fire cover is likely to be unaffected in most of the Western Isles, with the exception of Stornoway.

Lothian & Borders:

There will be 23 Green Goddesses to cover the Lothian and Borders area.

The majority of the fire tenders, which will be manned by the Army, are stationed in Edinburgh.

That is compared to a normal complement of 58 traditional fire engines and nine specialist vehicles like turntable ladders, hydraulic hoists and emergency tenders.

There are 763 full-time firefighters, 310 retained personnel and 30 control room staff in the area, but no volunteers.

Strathclyde:

There will be 46 Green Goddesses operating in the Strathclyde area, which covers about 5,500 square miles and includes 23 inhabited islands.

Strathclyde Police's Assistant Chief Constable Ricky Gray said its operation would be the biggest in the UK outside of the Metropolitan Police area.

Strathclyde Fire Brigade's deputy firemaster David Kennedy said 40 senior officers would assist the police and the Army in co-ordinating responses to fires.

One special military rescue vehicle will be equipped with cutting and lifting equipment, while 13 units will be equipped with breathing apparatus.

Mr Kennedy also predicted that up to 50% of retained fire fighters would be on duty during any strike action.

Tayside:

There will be nine Green Goddesses available to serve the Tayside region, where the RAF will be providing the firefighting service.

It is not known whether or not the retained crews which cover most of the area will take part in the strike.

The 999 calls will be dealt with at a specially constructed control room in the gym at Tayside Police headquarters, where either the firemaster or his deputy will be on hand to assess calls.

Road accidents account for a third of the calls dealt with in Tayside, but the relief crews will only carry the most basic of cutting equipment.


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