22 London Underground stations served by lifts will be affected. Of these, 20 will remain completely closed for the duration of the strike period. These are: Belsize Park, Borough, Caledonian Road, Chalk Farm, Covent Garden, Edgware Road (Bakerloo station), Elephant and Castle, Goodge St, Hampstead, Holland Park, Holloway Road, Kennington, Lambeth North, Lancaster Gate, Mornington Crescent, Queensway, Regent's Park, Russell Square, Tufnell Park, and Wapping.
The other two stations affected are: Gloucester Road (piccadilly line services will be closed but district/circle still remain open) and Shadwell which will close during the morning and evening peak periods only. All other lifts at stations around the network will not be in operation.
The RMT, Britain's biggest rail union, has warned that its members would refuse to work if safety of the system is compromised, without full fire brigade cover. It would ballot for strike action if staff who felt at risk were forced to work. The unions have similar concerns about the safety of the underground services in Merseyside, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Mainline rail
The rail industry hopes that services will not be affected following a safety review by Railtrack, the Association of Train Operating Companies, the health and safety executive and Railway Safety, the rail industry's safety watchdog. Rail unions have already raised safety concerns, particularly on lines with long tunnels and services carrying hazardous cargos.
Channel Tunnel
Eurotunnel said it is planning to run a normal service. However, the Transport and General Workers' union, which represents drivers, has expressed concerns about safety. Green goddesses are too big to enter the tunnel and it requires specialist engines operated by the FBU. "We have staff fully trained and certified, to the satisfaction of the independent Channel Tunnel safety authority, who can deal with any emergencies if necessary," a Eurotunnel spokeswoman said.
Airports
Flights should not be interrupted as all airports used for commercial passenger flights employ their own firefighters, who are not members of the FBU. The civil aviation authority said yesterday that it was satisfied with new contingency plans prepared by airports which takes into account a firefighters' strike. Of course, BAA now faces strike action from its own firefighters. The Transport and General Workers' Union has called for six one-day stoppages.
Fuel distribution
Unlikely to be affected as the unions believe the green goddesses can successfully deal with a fire in a fuel tanker. Oil refineries employ their own firefighters.
Power stations
Power generating companies intend to operate as normal. BNFL, which operates the nuclear power stations, said it would keep the situation under constant review and would shut down if safety was at risk. Power station workers are considered most likely to walk out as a result of safety concerns.
Schools
Headteachers' leaders have said no schools should close as a result of the strike, however, the government has suggested school's susceptible to arson attacks should consider mounting night watches.
Both the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Secondary Heads Association (SHA) have urged its members to follow the Department for Education and Skills' guidance, which was sent to local education authorities in England on October 14. It said: "Schools should open normally ... In the event of a strike the military will provide fire cover using green goddess fire appliances, supplemented by specialist breathing apparatus teams."
SHA general secretary, John Dunford, said: "Schools will attempt to carry on as normal. I think their greatest anxiety will be about what happens after the school closes, as that is when most school fires happen."
The government guidance also suggested heads put irreplaceable paperwork, such as GCSE and A-level coursework or computer discs of pupil records "elsewhere or in a secure fire resistant store". It warned that the Army's top priority will be protecting life, rather than property and small fires are more likely to become "major conflagrations", especially at night, and response times may be longer and automatic alarms to fire stations may not work.
Offices and factories
All employers must complete a workplace risk assessment under health and safety at work regulations. These are likely to include an assumption that there will be a local authority fire service. Union health and safety representatives have raised concerns about workers in multi-storey office buildings who would rely on the fire brigade for evacuation.
Janet Asherson, head of health and safety at the Confederation of British Industry, said: "At this stage there seems little evidence of wholesale shutdowns, in fact, a number of organisations have already indicated they will continue as normal." But she added: "Employers take the safety of staff and customers very seriously and many are reviewing their emergency plans, particularly in sectors such as chemicals and oil that have to be particularly aware of the danger of fire."
Sporting events
The Premier League believes that all 20 clubs should be able to comply with the requirements for a new fire safety certificate. Spokesman Philip French said the clubs "have been working very hard with safety authorities for this particular contingency over recent weeks". A spokesman for the Football League, which has 72 clubs, said: "We are pretty confident that all our games will be able to go ahead, although it always depends on local conditions and the nature of any strike action."
Entertainment venues
Cinemas, concert venues and nightclubs will have to satisfy local authority licensing officers that their safety plans include a contingency for the firefighters' strike. The main criterion is the speed of evacuation, which is unlikely to be affected by the dispute. Emma de Souza, of the Society of West End Theatres, said: "Our understanding is that none of our theatres will have to close during the fire strike."
