Strike cover puts airport fire safety 'in danger'

The Government is determined that air travel should continue as normal during threatened fire strikes next month despite admitting yesterday that emergency cover at airports will be "much more limited".

Fifty-year-old Green Goddess fire engines, crewed by soldiers with as little as five weeks' training, will provide back-up to airport fire services in the event of a major disaster.

Today ballot papers will be sent out to the 50,000 members of local authority fire brigades who are expected to vote overwhelmingly for national stoppages over pay.

Andy Gilchrist, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "It is clear that adequate fire cover at airports cannot be provided during strikes. Anyone claiming otherwise will be putting the safety of passengers at risk."

Officials at the Civil Aviation Authority have expressed concern about contingency plans for the threatened. They have called on senior fire officers at Britain's airports to draw up strategies to cope.

While fire services at airports, which are not involved in the dispute, must be able to deal with most potential accidents involving aircraft, local brigades are expected to provide support during major incidents.

A spokesman for the CAA said the onus was on airports to meet regulations and that it was monitoring the situation.

An official at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister admitted that the back-up service provided by the Green Goddesses was "much more limited" than that provided by local authority brigades. However, ministers are determined to ensure that air travel continues.