Two evening strikes have been announced by the national Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

Its members will take industrial action on Friday December 13 and Saturday December 14 between 6pm and 10pm.

Previous strikes were held on September 25, November 1, November 4 and November 13.

The FBU is unhappy about proposed changes to pensions, which it claims would make firefighters pay more and work longer – raising issues about older firefighters being able to cope with the physical demands of the job.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has back up plans in place to ensure it can still answer 999 calls for life-threatening incidents, such as house fires, road traffic collisions and vehicle fires.

Chris Strickland, deputy chief fire officer at CFRS, said: “We are working hard to maintain a good level of service to the communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

“Quite a few of our rural stations will be available as normal and we will crew stations in urban areas with operational officers from Station Commander right up to Chief Fire Officer.

“This will ensure experienced crews are available to deal with any incidents that happen, which we hope will be reassuring for members of the public.”

As part of its ‘Be Safer... Be Slower... Be Vigilant’ campaign, the fire service is asking people to take extra care when they are cooking or smoking, check smoke alarms and know what to do in the event of the fire.

Mr Strickland said: “We are asking residents to take extra care during the strikes when there will be reduced fire cover, but we are also encouraging people to drive safely during rush hour and try not to overdo it if consuming alcohol – both at home and out in our towns and cities.”

People are urged to dial 999 as normal, but be aware that calls could be prioritised

For more information on the strike and further safety advice, log onto www.cambsfire.gov.uk