News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Firefighters absolutely have the right to strike if they believe their working conditions are under threat.

What is upsetting is that some members of the public believe it is easy for them to do so.

It will not be easy for the thousands who do not go to work for 47 hours but they are doing it because their jobs are being chipped away at and undermined.

For these men and women, who care desperately about the vital work they do, to be even considering such action demonstrates how their hand has been forced.

They are being presented with changes to their working lives they have no choice about, and feel they have been backed into a corner.

As a former firefighter I know there's no way they'd be striking if they did not believe it was absolutely necessary and they will all have thought long and hard about the impact of their action on the public.

So I find it hard to understand why there is so much antipathy directed at them.

There has been criticism for those firefighters who have second jobs but who wouldn't better their standard of living if they could?

As long as firefighters are fit and ready when they go on duty, and their second job isn't affecting their ability to perform, it is irrelevant. But they came under the most criticism for initially deciding to strike on Bonfire Night, a day when people say that the service is most needed.

And the pressure mounted until the Fire Brigades Union eventually called the strike off.

The industrial action had obviously been timed to make an impact - why would anyone strike at a time when it would have no effect?

But on balance it was probably the right thing to call it off.

It is important the public are behind the firefighters and if the mood was turning against them, strike action at this time would not have been good for their cause.

The Fire Brigades Union has been perceptive enough to gauge the public mood as well as considering the practical impact of striking on this night.

But I don't believe the firefighters would have seriously considered that date in the first place if they thought it was putting lives at risk.

I joined the service in 1985, when I was a young lad, because I wanted to be able to save lives - and I haven't met one firefighter who wouldn't put their own life on the line to do that.

These people are dedicated and brave, constantly work as a team and take real pride in the service they are providing. They don't get huge salaries, the hours are unsociable, the shifts tiring and you can forget having Christmases, New Year and bank holidays off. But you don't moan or whinge about it because you knew the score when you chose this career. When people joined, they knew they'd be working overnight on 15-hour shifts and then on nine-hour day shifts.

This is the pattern of their working lives and it has been like that for years. Every fireman knows what the shift system is. Those are the terms of the contracts.

But what has happened here is that changes are being brought in and the firefighters are not being given any choice - and that is why they absolutely have the right to strike. They are now being asked to work two 12-hour shifts instead and, according to the FBU, if they don't agree to do so the London Fire Brigade wants to sack them and re-employ them on different terms.

That's not what they signed up for.

Anyone in any profession having their terms and conditions changed using these means would want to stand up and fight it.

It is important to stress I in supporting this strike action, have no axe to grind with the London Fire Brigade. I was in the service for seven years, working in three London stations, and loved every minute.

One of my proudest moments was when I saved the lives of two little boys from a house fire in Dagenham, East London, in 1987. To be able to bring them to safety was a wonderful moment and, in a bizarre twist, it also saved my life - because it brought to light my own predicament...

In rescuing those boys I inhaled smoke and that's why I went to hospital for routine tests.

Through those tests I found I was suffering from leukaemia and I must say the London Fire Brigade was wonderful to me when I was ill.

Since I left in 1992 I have devoted my life to charity work and I'm probably best known for running the London Marathon in rather eccentric outfits.

I also won a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain award in 2003 and was awarded an MBE in 2005.

But I will always be a firefighter at heart and still have lots of friends in the brigade.

The public in London and, indeed around Britain, are very fortunate to have so many dedicated people serving them.

The long-term aim is to have a strong and long-serving fire service, and firefighters need to feel valued in order for this to be the case.

As told to VICTORIA MURPHY