496 
Mainly because the dispute has hit something of a stalemate, and no one wants to jeopardise that chance of a solution.
Greystones Firefighters MAR22
t’s a sign of just how tender the current firefighters’ strike is in Wicklow 
that the lads themselves really don’t want to talk about it.
t’s a sign of just how tender the current firefighters’ strike is in Wicklow 
that the lads themselves really don’t want to talk about it.Despite emails back and forth with our local crew, none feel comfortable about speaking out right now.
Mainly because the dispute has hit something of a stalemate, and no one wants to jeopardise that chance of a solution. 
And partly because the fire chief has been in a huff with us for four years now.
In an effort to break the deadlock, strikes at the Greystones fire station have increased to every second day.
The strikes are in response to a lack of agreement on work practices for those on call 24/7. Finding new recruits has been difficult, given the high demands and low rewards of the job.
With an average income of €700 a month (according to Bray fire chief Brian Murray), firefighters are on call 24/7, must live within two kilometres of their station (so, the likes of 
Charlesland is out), and given the shortage of numbers in recent years, annual leave is unlikely.
Charlesland is out), and given the shortage of numbers in recent years, annual leave is unlikely.For Greystones firefighter Mark Hayes – who is the SIPTU shop steward – the decision to strike has been a hard one. “You won’t get a firefighter that doesn’t feel really difficult about this,” he told The Bray People. “This is the last place we want to be. But the truth of the matter is, the structure of the service is not fit for purpose…”
Some 716 firefighters left the service in the five-year period up to September 2021, of which 495 left before retirement age. A survey conducted by the National Directorate for Fire And Emergency Management found that almost 60% said they were likely to leave the service within the next three years.
Whitmore with Greystones firefighters FRI16JUNE23
