THE fire service is seeking to recruit reserve staff as possible strike action threatens to cripple its ability to respond to emergencies.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is embroiled in a pensions dispute with the Government and is balloting its members to ask if they feel industrial action is necessary.
If the vote is passed, strikes could be held as soon as September 5.
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service is rushing to recruit more staff to maintain its response capability.
The dispute centres on a national move to make firefighters retire at 60 in order to receive a full pension, despite fears many will not be fit enough at that age to do the job.
Rob Vaugh, the union's Humberside chairman, said: "This brings a firefighter's pension into a place where it's no longer workable, it's no longer affordable and it could see firefighters not reach retirement age.
"We negotiated when the rest of the public sector took industrial action, we resisted the urge to join them and now it's reached a point where the FBU feels it's the right time to ballot our membership.
"We joined the fire service to keep the community safe but we're stuck between a rock and a hard place and it's sad we've ended up in this position again."
The union insisted its quarrel was not with Humberside managers, who have no control over the national pensions policy.
Mr Vaugh said although the Government wanted firefighters to retire at 60, its own studies had shown 40 per cent of staff would not pass the brigade's fitness test at the age of 50 and 60 per cent would not pass it aged 55.
He believes the Government and fire brigades across the country are looking at ways to legally dismiss firefighters whose fitness is not up to standard. This, he said, could mean they would get no pension at all.
The service said preference would be given to reserve staff applicants with experience working in safety critical roles or a disciplined environment.
Deputy chief fire officer Dene Sanders said: "The senior management team does not support a strike and urges the FBU and the Government to continue discussions rather than resort to strike action.
"However, while the service respects the right of staff to undertake industrial action, there is a legal duty placed upon the Fire Authority to provide emergency cover to the public it serves.
"Contingency plans are in place to enable a basic level of service covering serious and life-threatening incidents in the event of strike action."
The most important thing for the service was to make sure everything was done to minimise the risk to the public if the strike went ahead, he said.
Mr Sanders said: "A Reserve Fire Crew will assist us in helping to keep our communities safe.
"Hopefully, we won't need to mobilise this crew and we would only do so as a last resort, however we want to make sure we are totally prepared."
