Military personnel are being placed on stand-by to prepare for another fire strike in Oxfordshire.

Green Goddess crew members Private Steven Ware and Private Martyn Evans in 2002

John Hurren, the county's deputy chief fire officer, confirmed that talks began yesterday with the Ministry of Defence to prepare for strike action across the UK.

The announcement came as Fire Brigades Union branch chairman Andy Middleton warned that fire crews may not respond to emergencies from the picketline this time round.

The FBU, which represents 550 full-time and retained officers in Oxfordshire, is balloting its members after long-running pay negotiations broke down. The result is expected by the end of the month.

The employers claim Bank Holiday working patterns is the sticking point, but the FBU denies this and said members have not received staggered pay increases due last November and July. As military personnel prepare for a return to firefighting duties, firemen at Oxford's Rewley Road station said they were also expecting to go on strike -- reluctantly. Mr Hurren said: "We have no option but to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

"This time it would mainly be the RAF involved. Obviously, we hope they are not required.

"Training for Ministry of Defence fire crews from across the country will start next week because they are still not trained properly to use all the regular equipment."

It is understood that the firefighters' training college at Moreton-in-Marsh has been closed to cater for hundreds of military staff.

Firefighters on Green Watch at Rewley Road expect the FBU ballot result to be in favour of a strike. Watch manager Guy Dunkley, 39, who has been a firefighter for 13 years, said: "The Government wants to force firefighters onto the picketline so that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister can enforce a settlement. "The rank and file will vote 'yes' to strike action but will do do reluctantly because no-one wants to be on strike. People think we still get paid, but we don't.

"Industrial action is one of the few tools we have left to get a fair opportunity to have our views heard."

He added: "We take on community fire safety tasks, including road safety work, with open arms. We embrace all the elements because we can see the benefits of them."

Firefighter Gary Crone, 33, also on Green Watch, stood on the picketline during the last dispute.

He said: "We're now expected to prepare for terrorism incidents and if something happens in London, then we are have to chip in.

"We're prepared to do all that but we expect some recognition in our pay packets."

Firefighters are being balloted for strike action because the FBU and local authority employers have failed to sign a proposal to pay the final two stages of a £25,000-a-year pay deal.

Mr Hurren said it was "ironic" that the issue of Bank Holiday working was a sticking point in negotiations, because senior officers in Oxfordshire were happy with working practices on public holidays.

Mr Middleton said: "This doesn't mean a strike is inevitable, and it's sensible to take precautions, but it pushes the situation further down the road towards that.

"In the previous strike, our members attended life-threatening situations from the picketline during the last strike, but I can't guarantee that this time round because some of our members are so incensed at the way the negotiations have been handled."