Ballot papers are being sent to more than 50,000 firefighters on Friday as they vote on whether to stage their first national strike for 25 years.

The Fire Brigades' Union is seeking a 40% pay rise, which would see salaries for fully qualified firefighters rise to about �30,000.

Employers are offering 4% as an interim deal, plus whatever an independent government review recommends should be linked to new ways of working.

The ballot comes as the Local Government Association (LGA) publishes the results of a telephone poll, which suggests an overwhelming majority of the public do not back strike action.

If union members reject the deal, strike action could begin by the end of October.

Independent research has shown that the cost of our pay claim would be 41p per household per week

Andy Gilchrist, Fire Brigades Union

The union is urging members to vote in favour of industrial action, although it stressed no-one was taking the decision lightly.

Firefighters had the choice of going on strike and placing their own families and friends at risk or continuing to receive poor pay and being forced to do second jobs or claim state benefits, said officials.

FBU general secretary Andy Gilchrist said: "Independent research has shown that the cost of our pay claim would be 41p per household per week.

"The public accept that this is a small amount to pay for the truly professional service provided by our members.

"We are not demanding to be paid the same as MPs or High Court judges.

"We are seeking the correct rate for the life-saving job we do, which in today's market is �30,000."

Independent review

Mr Gilchrist told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was confident the ballot would produce an "overwhelming mandate" for strike action.

The FBU also attacked the announcement that troops trained to crew the military Green Goddesses that would be used in the event of a strike, had been redeployed.

A spokesman for the office of the deputy prime minister said: "These changes do not diminish in any way the level of cover that the Ministry of Defence could provide in the event of a strike."

Green Goddesses could be deployed

Fire Service Minister Nick Raynsford plans to try to resolve the issue by pushing ahead with an independent review of firefighters' pay despite opposition from the main union.

Employers urged firefighters to think carefully before casting their vote and said they should consider the 4% offer and wait for the findings of the review, which will report at this year's end.

The LGA said it had conducted an opinion poll among 1,000 members of the public which showed that the majority would not support a strike.

Two-thirds of those questioned believed the employer's offer of 4% plus an independent inquiry into firefighters' pay was reasonable, while 53% described union demands as unreasonable.

Four out of five of those questioned said they believed any increase above 4% should be linked to changes to the fire service and a majority were confident that the Army would provide adequate cover if there was a strike.

Modernisation drive

LGA chairman Sir Jeremy Beecham said the poll showed public support for the employers' stance.

"Firefighters deserve a new formula, we agree about that," Sir Jeremy told Today.

"That formula must be based on new conditions of service which reflect modern circumstances."

That meant ending bans on over time, getting firefighters to use life-saving equipment when they arrived ahead of medical teams and looking at whether it was right to have the same number of people on duty at all times when most fires happen during the day, added Sir Jeremy.