THE head of the fire service says the prospect of firefighters striking for eight days from Monday is "far from ideal".
Chief Fire Officer John Buckley has called on both sides involved in the dispute – the Fire Brigades Union and the Government – to bring it to an end.
The argument centres around changes to pensions for firefighters which the union is labelling as "dangerous".
These include raising the retirement age to 60.
Clare Hudson, a firefighter at Highfields, in Beeston, said she opposed the reforms. The 36-year-old from Wilford said: "I am proud of the job I do but the offers that are being put on the table are just not acceptable.
"When I started, I was told I could retire at 55 but now they want to move the goalposts and have me retire at 60.
"And that's the dangerous thing because firefighters have to keep up their fitness, so they expect people aged 60 to do the job of 20-year-olds. We have to take a stand on that, for us and for the public."
While members of the Fire Brigades Union are on strike, cover is provided by non-FBU members or by other contingency firefighters.
Mr Buckley said: "Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has continued to cope with the demands placed upon it and I commend the work of all those who have striven to ensure public safety during times of industrial action.
"However, the situation is far from ideal and, while arrangements have worked well, they are no substitute for our full-strength fire and rescue provision."
The Post revealed last month that the cost of the dispute had left the fire service with a bill of £158,000 for contingency cover.
This figure ran to the start of June – and three days of strike action have taken place since then.
County fire authority chairman Darrell Pulk has added to calls for the strike to be brought to an end sooner rather than later.
He said: "The service is already facing a huge deficit in its budget due to cuts in its Government grant, and it is therefore extremely important that we don't deplete essential funds that may need to be relied on at a later date.
"We will be under increasing financial pressure the longer the dispute continues. We ask that the FBU and the Government bring this dispute to an end."
Fire Minister Brandon Lewis said: "The Government believes a solution can be reached but not under the shadow of industrial action."
