Retained firefighters in Tipperary say they were left with no option but to take strike action.
They are among 2,000 across the country campaigning for improved pay & conditions while also highlighting retention and recruitment issues.
Rolling 24 hour strikes will continue at stations across Tipperary with the threat of an all out stoppage next Tuesday if a resolution isn’t found.
As a result half of the fire stations in Tipperary are closed today alternating to the other stations tomorrow.
Paddy Pyke is sub-station officer in Clonmel – on Tipp Today earlier he said the service is in turmoil for years.
“So I’m on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 48 weeks a year. You must remain within 2.5 kilometres of the fire station at all times. Your response has to be in Tipperary under 6 minutes to the station.
“It’s like living in Covid lockdown permanently. It’s a permanent state of lockdown for a firefighter. And unfortunately that also affects the firefighters family – we had lovely weather there last week, I couldn’t wake up Sunday morning and decide we’d go to the beach.”
A 25 year veteran with Tipperary Fire & Rescue fears for the future of the service.
The Clonmel station should have 13 firefighters but is currently operating with 10 while in Nenagh they have 10 which is 2 short of their ideal allocation.
Ger Morris is a sub-officer in Nenagh – he told Fran Curry on Tipp Today earlier that they had to take a stand.
“All we want is a bit of fair play. I’ve two and a half years left in this service – it’s the future of the service I’m doing this for. It’s a job you just don’t walk away from – you’ll always have an interest and the comradery of the fellows that you worked with and the lads that are there behind you.
“It’s the future of the service….now it should never have got this far. Management took their eye off the ball ten years ago – they were told a lot about this but it just seemed to fade away. Like in 2001 it was said that the fire service was not fit for purpose – that’s 22 years ago.”
