About 500 military personnel are ready in Northern Ireland to take on firefighting duties when the fire service strike goes ahead tomorrow.
The men and the army's fleet of 32 Green Goddesses - painted yellow for service in Northern Ireland - have been dispersed to six points around the Greater Belfast area and eight more across the North.
As well as the six Belfast bases - five at military camps and one at a police station - military firefighters have been sent to Derry, Coleraine, Ballymena, Omagh, Enniskillen, Portadown, Bessbrook and Ballykinlar, Co Down.Another 500 troops will support them in what is described as "escort-and-protection" duties because of fears the temporary firefighters may come under attack.
There are real concerns among military chiefs that - as during the 1977 fire strike when troops took over - paramilitaries may organise youths to stone or petrol bomb the crews.
The 500 troops have been trained in firefighting techniques and among them are full-time Royal Air Force firefighters normally based at military airports. They have special training in rescue using breathing apparatus.
But a spokesman at British Army Headquarters at Lisburn, Co Antrim, said today they would not pretend they could replace normal Fire Service operations. "We are very much alive to the fact we are providing an emergency service in an emergency situation," he said.
But he said experience had shown the military teams and their aged Green Goddesses could be effective.
The strike was called after last-minute talks to avert the action this morning collapsed after just a few minutes.
Fire Brigades Union (FBU) leader, Mr Andy Gilchrist, said he was extremely angry at the lack of progress and blamed the Government for interfering in the dispute.
More than 50,000 staff across Britain and Northern Ireland will now walk out from 6 p.m. tomorrow for 48 hours.
In addition, the FBU is planning to hold three eight-day-long strikes starting on November 22nd, December 4th and December 16th. Each one will begin at 9 a.m.
Mr Gilchrist said the employers had told him they were linking any proposed deal with the recommendations of the independent review chaired but Sir George Bain.
The review suggested firefighters should receive a pay rise of 4% now and 7% next year but only if firefighters agreed to accept big changes in working practices.
Mr Gilchrist said the employers offer was going to be "inextricably linked" to the Bain report.
The union's executive decided they could not accept any offer which followed the Bain recommendations and said the strike would go ahead.