Firefighters out on strike

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was running a reduced service between 6.30am and 8.30am, when 29 fire engines were covering the county. The normal fleet is 54.

Officers responded to two incidents – a person was rescued from a lift in an apartment block in Back Station Road, Mirfield, and a second incident of a small fire in a play area in Leeds.

Chief fire officer Simon Pilling said: “We have thankfully experienced a quiet couple of hours during today’s industrial action.

“We would like to thank the public for staying safe this morning.”

The action was the ninth walk-out since September 25.

Firefighters are striking over an ongoing dispute between the government and the Fire Brigades Union over reform of public sector pensions. Current proposals are to introduce a new firefighters’ pension scheme from April 2015 to replace two current pension schemes.