LOCAL military firefighters have begun training this week to take over in the event of a strike by Hampshire firefighters.

The personnel, from RAF Odiham near Alton, will join around 650 military personnel from all three services on standby to provide emergency civilian cover should the countryÕs firemen go ahead with a threat to stage their first national strike in 25 years.

And, according to a county spokesman, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service will toe the national line.

The threatened strike follows the collapse of talks in London on Monday between local government employers, who have offered a four per cent pay rise, and the Fire Brigade Union (FBU), whose members are demanding a substantial 40 per cent. This would boost the basic salary from about £22,000 to £30,000 a year.

Local firemen were amongst the thousands who lobbied the Westminster meeting which broke up after 90 minutes leaving FBU leaders recommending industrial action.

A ballot of the unionÕs 30,000 members, which looks set to follow, could trigger a strike by the end of October.

The dispute centres around the current pay formula, which formed the basis for ending the last strike and which is, says the FBU, outdated, leaving firemenÕs pay lagging behind other workers.

The employers say they cannot afford the pay demand and are urging the FBU to accept an independent inquiry into the matter. They have also called on ministers to instigate an immediate inquiry to forestall any strike action - something the Government is said to be considering.

While agreeing that a new pay system is needed, Ted George, chairman of the employersÕ negotiating team, believes that it should be based on the average settlement in the rest of the economy.

He is quoted as saying: ÒWe cannot meet a wage rise of anything like the unionÕs demand.Ó

With inflation running at under two per cent, Sir Jeremy Beecham, chairman of the Local Government Association, has described the FBU demand as Ò unrealisticÓ.

However, he believes that if modernisation and pay were to be addressed together there would be a reasonable chance of getting additional outside funding.

A dispute which will ultimately be settled at national level, it is nevertheless supported by many local firefighters and, if allowed to escalate, will affect us all.

In 1977 the nine-week stoppage saw hundreds of Green Goddess fire engines manned by military personnel responding to emergency calls under the guidance of senior civilian fire officers.

In Hampshire, according to the spokesman, some firefighters Òwith a conscienceÓ and some non-union members did turn out to serious incidents, but in the main they supported the strike.

And with the majority appearing to be behind the current bid to secure Òa decent living wageÓ it could be the same this time round.

One firefighter, interviewed on Monday by the national press, has summed up the feeling of many: ÒWe donÕt want to strike but we have to.Ó