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divdiv class=story-body readability=35 span class=story-date#13; span class=date1 November 2013/span#13;span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time17:25 ET/span#13; #13;/span#13;#13; #13;#13;#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; p class=introduction id=story_continues_1Firefighters in England and Wales are staging a fresh strike in a row with the government over pension ages./p#13; pThe walkout between 18:30 and 23:00 GMT by Fire Brigades Union members will be repeated on Monday for two hours./p#13; pMinisters have described the strike as completely unnecessary and damaging to the reputation of firefighters./p#13; pThe strike began as a large scrapyard fire was tackled in Dagenham, east London, but the fire brigade said contingency crews were at the scene./p#13; pThe cause of the blaze in Dagenham is not yet known. Twenty fire engines were sent to the scene and it led to a voluntary recall of striking FBU staff in the capital./p#13; pAn agreement was in place for all striking staff who would normally be on duty to be recalled in the event of a major incident, but the FBU said the way the London Fire Brigade had enacted it had breached the agreement./p#13; #13; pLondon Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson maintained the recall was valid and had been issued because of the size of the fire and the resources needed to deal with it./p#13; span class=cross-head'Way forward'/span#13; pThe latest action comes after a four-hour stoppage in October, followed by an abandoned strike when an agreement to the two-year dispute was anticipated./p#13; pThe union wants assurances about terms of employment in view of government plans to raise the retirement age for firefighters from 55 to 60./p#13; pThe FBU says it fears firefighters will be made redundant if they fail fitness tests and are unable to find other work in the fire service./p#13; !-- Embedding the video player --#13;!-- This is the embedded player component --#13;#13;#13; #13; #13;#13;#13;#13;!-- wwrights check --#13;!-- Empty country is used on test environment --#13;#13;#13;#13;div class=videoInStoryB readability=1#13; div id=emp-24780044-8168 class=emp#13; #13; #13; noscript#13; div class=warning readability=1#13; img class=holding src=http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/70862000/jpg/_70862262_70862261.jpg alt=Fire fighters leave their York station/pstrongPlease turn on JavaScript./strong Media requires JavaScript to play./p#13; /div#13; /noscript#13; #13; !-- embedding script --#13; #13; /div#13; !-- companion banner -- #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- END - companion banner --!-- caption --p class=captionThe BBC's Fiona Trott was in York and witnessed the start of the strike/p#13; !-- END - caption --#13; #13; #13;#13;/div#13;!-- end of the embedded player component --#13;#13;!-- Player embedded -- pBut the government says firefighters have been offered similar fitness principles to those the FBU accepted in Scotland and its proposals offer them one of the most generous pension schemes in the public sector./p#13; pFBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: Firefighters are keen for these issues to be resolved through discussion, but the government won't even listen to its own evidence, which highlights that the schemes are unworkable and unaffordable./p#13; pFirefighters want a pension scheme that takes account of the hazardous nature of the job, is affordable, and workable for them and for the taxpayer./p#13; span class=cross-head'Be sensible'/span#13; pWe hope this brief strike will mean the government returns to negotiations so we can agree a sensible way forward./p#13; pThe FBU said it had timed the strike to avoid Bonfire Night and the Saturdays either side./p#13; pFire Minister Brandon Lewis said: [Firefighters] are courageous people, they deserve a good pension scheme. We believe we've put that in place. We think it is completely unnecessary for them to call a strike at this time. /p#13; pTo the general public I would say there are good contingency plans in place right across the country and if they have an emergency call - a 999 call - they will get an emergency response./p#13; pPeter Dartford, the vice-president of the Chief Fire Officers Association, said individual authorities and fire and rescue authorities would have business continuity plans in place but services will have to prioritise calls, and obviously those that involve a threat to life will be given the highest priority./p#13; pThe government's chief fire and rescue adviser, Peter Holland, said people shouldn't be alarmed by the strike but urged them to be sensible./p#13; pIndustrial action has been avoided in Scotland through talks with the Scottish government, although there is no final agreement in place as yet./p#13; div class=comment-introduction readability=-49#13; p class=introductionAre you a firefighter? Are you going on strike? Send us your comments using the form below./p#13; #13;/div#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center