On patrol with the Green Goddesses

THE clock had just turned seven and Bolton was one hour into the first firefighters strike in 25 years when troops received their first call.

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The soldiers at the Nelson Street Territorial Army barracks jumped into a Green Goddess and made their way to a reported kitchen fire in Breightmet.

Traffic was brought to a standstill as the vehicle was given a police escort through the town.

However, it was an anti-climax for the troops who arrived to find the call to Padbury Way had been a false alarm.

The next call was at 8.15pm when both Green Goddesses based in Bolton raced to a fire at a flat in Little Hulton.

The cause of the blaze at the empty maisonette, in Kenyon Way, was unknown, but the army spent more than an hour extinguishing the fire.

Despite the early flurry of activity, soldiers manning the two Green Goddesses at the barracks turned out just once after 10pm.

This was to a car fire on Ridyard Street, Walkden, with one fire appliance attending.

Passing motorists could be heard tooting their horns in appreciation as the cumbersome Green Goddess weaved through the traffic to the scene after receiving the call at 10.35pm.

However, just yards from Ridyard Street, the Green Goddess, guided by a police escort, came to an abrupt halt as the driver appeared lost, with the incident just yards away from their vehicle. It took them a total of 20 minutes to get to the scene.

A spokesman from Bolton Central station in Moor Lane estimated that it would usually take just under 10 minutes for firefighters from Farnworth station to attend a similar incident.

As the Green Goddess finally arrived, a crowd had gathered around a smouldering Metro Mayfair car which had been set on fire close to parked cars and a row of terraced houses.

Resident Lee Hartley, aged 37, had given up waiting for the army to arrive and had put out the fire using his own garden hose -- receiving praise from police and an army driver for his prompt actions.

Neighbour Anne Higham, whose home was close to the burning car, said: "I rang 999 half an hour ago. I was terrified the car would explode and damage my house.

"It's a good job I have excellent neighbours."

Mr Hartley said that he had been returning home from work when he saw the car with flames coming out of the engine.

He added: "I think firefighters are worth every penny of the pay rise they want. They turn out to this sort of thing every night. They have a lot to put up with."

The D-reg vehicle is thought to have been stolen and left abandoned on the street for a few weeks and was set on fire by arsonists. No-one was injured. The Green Goddess left the scene at around 11pm.

The Army turned out to 49 incidents across Greater Manchester last night, including other car and skip fires.

A spokesman for the Army said: "It has been a relatively quiet night in Bolton and across Greater Manchester with no major incidents."

Throughout the night more than 60 firefighters manned the picket line at Bolton Central fire station.

Firefighters from all four watches as well as senior management members and the fire safety team, joined the all night vigil.

The men and women claimed they were "gutted" that the strike action had finally come and that they had hoped for a final intervention from the Government right up until the last minute.

Station officer Dave Pimblett never thought he would have to strike twice in his career with the fire service.

The 45-year-old had manned a picket line just five weeks after he joined the service 25 years ago.

Station officer Pimblett will find the strike especially difficult financially. His wife, Susan, is also a member of the fire service and works as group fire control officer at the Manchester headquarters.

The father-of-two, from Westhoughton, fears the strikes could drag on for some time and is anxious that his younger colleagues have not fully taken on board the difficult times ahead.

He said: "I've been the eternal optimist all along and never dreamt that I would go on strike again after the last walkout.

"This is a particularly sad day for the fire service. I don't think people have thought about how serious it could get.

"This isn't about the strike anymore - the Government is making us political pawns in their own game."

Firefighter John Duff, who has worked at Bolton Central for 18 years, had brought his six-year-old daughter Dominique to help brighten-up the picket line.

He said: "I am completely gutted. Right up until 6pm I thought it would be called off.

"Christmas is coming and I've got to make sure my daughter is looked after. None of us wanted it to come to this - but there was no other option."