HEREFORD and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is urging members of the public to take extra care during the forthcoming Firefighter industrial action.

The strike action will take place on Friday October 31 6pm until Tuesday November 4 6pm. This period of strike action will see HWFRS operating a reduced service.

Adrian Elliot, group commander of HWFRS, said: “We are encouraging motorists and residents to take extra care during the strikes when there will be reduced fire cover. Not all of our firefighters are members of the Fire Brigades Union which means some stations will be working normally but people should be aware that it may take us a little longer to respond to calls in some instances.

“During the firefighter strikes, we want people to be clear about what to do in the event of a fire. The most important point they need to know is that they will still get an emergency response and they should not be tempted to tackle the fires themselves.

“General fire safety messages that we promote throughout the year become even more crucial at times of strike action. An early alert to a fire in your home is just as important for avoiding injury and damage to property, and we would also like to remind people to install a smoke alarm on every floor of their home and to test each alarm is working on a weekly basis.”

For further information visit http://www.hwfire.org.uk/business_safety/industrial-action-info.html