Firefighters to escalate strike action after 'astonishing' silence from Government

Some of the 2,000 retained firefighters across the country who went on strike last month. Stations around the country are already closed 50% of the time because of the refusal by management to agree adequate cover arrangements with firefighters. File picture: Andy Gibson

Firefighters have accused the government of putting lives at risk by allowing a firefighter recruitment and retention crisis to persist, as they escalate strike action.

Part-time fire stations will “go dark” from Saturday at 8am, providing no internal communications other than life-saving information.