When Britain's fire crews last walked out on national strike 25 years ago, members of the public were advised to take matters into their own hands.

Although the armed services, with their so-called "Green Goddess" fire engines, were drafted in, they were seen by many as a last line of defence.

On standby in 2002

As the strike took hold in the encroaching winter of November 1977, people were encouraged to keep buckets of sand and water at home. And at a time when many still relied on open fires for heating, householders were advised to have their chimneys cleaned.

The London Fire Brigade issued its own 11-point safety guide, advising checking for smouldering cigarettes and leaving only essential electrical appliances like fridges plugged in.

The strike began on 14 November and lasted for nine weeks, running through to the New Year. At the time fire fighters worked a basic 48-hour week, for which they were paid an average of �71.10, which amounted to �3,700 a year.

Equal rights

At the time the national average weekly earnings were �78.60

Their demand for a 30% pay increase had been turned down by the government, which at the time was mired in a wave of industrial unrest and rampant inflation.

Indeed, reporting of the strike itself was restricted by the fact newspapers such as the Sun, the Daily Mirror and the Observer were put out of action by striking print workers and journalists.

On 19 November, BBC television was blacked out by network engineers because of a dispute over pay awards.

Out-dated equipment

As firemen took to picket lines in front of their stations, 10,000 servicemen from the army, navy and air force stepped in as emergency cover. They were reinforced by part-time firemen who were not involved in the dispute.

The strike was another body blow for the Labour government

But with the fire stations bolted shut, this reserve force instead had to rely on the fleet of "Green Goddess" engines.

They were maintained by the forces and held in reserve for national emergencies. And they were definitely not state of the art - many of them dating back to the early 1950s.

They were however, immediately put to use. On only the second day of the walkout, the Daily Express splashed across its front page the story of how soldiers and Green Goddesses sprang into action to tackle a major fire at a hospital in London's East End.

On that occasion at least, striking firemen put down their banners and raced to the scene in their own cars and on motorbikes.

Struggling

No one was hurt, but as the strike wore on stories emerged of how the over-stretched, inexperienced and poorly equipped stand-ins were struggling to stay on top of the job.

Smiling in a difficult time - Christmas 1977

On 21 November two children died in a house fire in London, a tragedy that only put more pressure on Home Secretary Merlyn Rees to reach a settlement with the 30,000 striking firemen.

Andrew Stephen, a reporter for the Sunday Telegraph at the time, spent a day with a Green Goddess crew and described the trying conditions.

"Everyone realises only too well that with their primitive equipment the soldiers will be hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with a big-fire," he wrote.

Deal sealed

"Despite the soldiers' excellent drill, valuable time is being lost before they are even told of a blaze. First a police patrol has to check if there is a fire."

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Negotiations continued between the Fire Brigades' Union and the Home Office, but it took until January for a settlement to be brokered.

The fire fighters finally agreed to settle for a 10% pay rise with guarantees of future increases and they went back to work on 16 January.

Fire damage cost the insurance industry �117.5m compared to �52.3m during the same three months of the previous year.