WILTSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people to take extra care when firefighters go out on strike again this weekend.

As part of a national dispute between the Fire Brigades’ Union and the Government over pension reforms, there will be industrial action today from noon to 5pm, tomorrow from 2pm to 2am and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

During this time, the Fire & Rescue Service will be providing a reduced emergency response, although fire cover is being maintained across the county.

Chief Fire Officer Simon Routh-Jones said: “While the industrial action is on-going, we will still respond to 999 calls but it may take us a little longer than usual to arrive. We would therefore urge everyone to take extra care to stay safe, which will hopefully reduce the number of calls we receive.”

The following tips will help people stay safe during the strike:

• Always make sure you have working smoke alarms and test them every week.

• If you’re going out on Saturday night, take five minutes to unplug unused electrical items, make sure no sockets are overloaded, close all internal doors and test your smoke alarms.

• Make these checks before you go to bed if you stay in for the night – and make sure you and anyone else in the property knows how to get out in the event of a fire.

• Avoid leaving cooking unattended, especially if you’ve been drinking or are on medication.