The Ministry of Defence told the Berkshire service it would be unable to provide troops in Green Goddess tenders to replace civilian crews, who plan to walk out on Tuesday.
Mike Clement Green, Berkshire's chief fire officer, told 600 crew members, due to halt work for seven hours from 9am on May 1, that lives could be put at risk.
Email update
Sign up for our free daily foot and mouth round-up
What's going on?
Full list: outbreaks
Graph: rise in cases
Full list: closed & cancelled
Causes and effects
Explained: vaccination
Explained: the spread of foot and mouth
Foot and mouth in Europe
The front line: meet those affected by the crisis
20.04.2001: The jab of conscience
06.03.2001: Meet our panel
Related articles
23.04.2001: Crisis prompts increase in rural borrowing
23.04.2001: Government ignored disease risk
23.04.2001: Cancer fear from animal pyre chemicals
23.04.2001: US tourists may not return for years
23.04.2001: Farmer found hanged
Interactive guides
How the virus spread across Britain
The countryside in crisis
More on the countryside in crisis
27.03.2001: Hard times
More on the election and foot and mouth
Politics: foot and mouth
From the Guardian archive
28.11.1967, leader: indecision on foot and mouth
18.11.1967: 'Slaughter must seem a cruel remedy'
16.11.1967: Foot and mouth may cost agriculture more than £12m
Graphics
Map: The spread of the disease (week 4)
Map of confirmed cases so far
Computerised image of the virus
Cartoons
28.03.2001: Steve Bell on how pigs will fly
29.03.2001: Steve Bell on Hague going over the top
Photo gallery
The story in pictures
Talk about it
What do you think?
Special reports
Foot and mouth
Election 2001: foot and mouth
What's wrong with our food?
BSE
Countryside in crisis
Net notes
Pigs - the story in links
Useful links
NFU Countryside
Government's Open Britain site
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Maff information and factsheets
EU legislation on the disease
National Farmers' Union
Meat and livestock commission
National Pig Association
World organisation for animal health
Advice for horse owners - Equine World
Ramblers Association
Institute of the public rights of way
Forestry commission
Association of national park authorities
Countryside agency - the state of the country 2001