Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) were due to walk out next Monday until Christmas Eve as part of a long running pay campaign. But the union's executive decided to suspend the action so that talks can continue at the conciliation service Acas.
The executive agreed to submit fresh strike dates to local authority employers in the event of talks breaking down.
The dates were not made public, but are expected to be set for the new year. Andy Gilchrist, general secretary of the FBU, said: "The executive is keen to resolve this dispute through a negotiated settlement.
"We have informed our employers that we are determined to achieve a serious and significant increase in pay for our members and we hope to do this through negotiation.
"However, should progress halt or fail, or if the government or our employers are no longer seriously negotiating on our claim, the executive will not hesitate to instruct members to take further strike action."
Mr Gilchrist met officials from Acas earlier today and described the talks as "positive". He reported back to the FBU executive, meeting at the union's head office in Kingston upon Thames in Surrey, where the decision to suspend the strike was taken.
The union has now called off a number of threatened strikes to try to boost prospects of a settlement. It went ahead with a 48-hour strike and an eight-day stoppage, but these sparked a hardline response from the government.
Local authority employers tonight welcomed the latest announcement. A spokeswoman said: "It is the right thing to do and will allow the talks to be held in a conciliatory mode, rather than one where we feel under pressure."
The employers will hold talks with Acas officials tomorrow, but face to face meetings with the FBU might not get under way until after Christmas.
