London without half of fire engines as crews protest

Firefighters are on a work-to-rule over plans to sack all 5,500 front-line staff and re-employ them on new contracts to force through new shift patterns.

A confidential memo passed to the Evening Standard claims that 91 of 169 engines were out of service on 114 occasions on Monday, some for almost 11 hours at a time, due to staff shortages or mechanical defects.

The Fire Brigades Union, which has 95 per cent support from its members for the action, said the situation was repeated yesterday and would continue indefinitely.

Union leaders plan to join forces with the RMT and TSSA unions to co-ordinate a walkout with the next Tube strike, due on November 2. It would be the first firefighters' strike in London since the national dispute of 2002/3 and would pile pressure on Mayor Boris Johnson and the Tory-controlled fire authority he oversees.

At one point on Monday all of Bromley was said to be without cover, while Croydon's flagship station, which has rescue units and anti-terror equipment, shut temporarily last night.

The FBU said its refusal to work pre-arranged overtime forced 11 stations to close on Monday, including Bethnal Green, Ealing, Lambeth and Heathrow, though not the airport's own station.

The union's Paul Embery said the unavailability of so many engines was unprecedented and highlighted "how the brigade has taken the firefighters' goodwill for granted for so many years. The moment that goodwill is withdrawn ... the brigade goes into meltdown." The result of a ballot for full strike action will be announced on Thursday next week, with backing expected for walk-outs of a day or more at a time.

A brigade spokesman said: "The figures suggested by the FBU are highly exaggerated. We move our staff and vehicles around to ensure cover across London's 112 fire stations and only 14 fire appliances were unavailable on Monday. That isn't an unusual number to be unavailable."

More than 1,000 firefighters marched through central London last month in protest at the planned shift changes.

London fire commissioner Ron Dobson and Tory fire authority chairman Brian Coleman want firefighters to work two 12-hour days, starting at 8am, followed by two 12-hour nights, starting at 8pm, then take four days off. The aim is to allow more time for daytime community fire prevention work.

Firefighters now work two nine-hour days, starting at 9am, then two 15-hour nights, starting at 6pm, followed by four rest days. The union says the new pattern could force some firefighters to quit over the impact on family life.