FALLING wages, high mortgage costs and increased job risks are amongst the dangers faced by emergency workers, on top of their daily duties.

Younger officers are again amongst the hardest hit, while instances of fires are on the rise, according to firefighter, Gary Hayden.

'We have fellas in there whose wages are being cut drastically and their job is getting more and more dangerous,' he said. 'In a recession, we tend to have more work to do, with more fires, with insurance jobs and so on.

'The cutbacks are just harsh and across the board, rather than focussing on where they should be. The younger lads who bought a house at the peak of the boom, their mortgages haven't changed.

' Yes we do have job security, which we appreciate, but there's always the risk of being injured and if we do get injured on the job, then suddenly all things go out the window.

'Our basic wage is very poor, but we're very skilled workers. It's easy to make these cuts when it's on paper, but the reality is it's affecting young people who have families and lives as well.'

Discussions with union representatives are vital to prevent further action, Mr Hayden insisted, while recommending cuts at management level, rather than on the ground. ' The Government have to talk to the unions,' he added. 'I understand they're in a tight situation and they need to make cuts.

'We're not alien to the state of the economy, we're citizens of this country as well. But they haven't spoken to us. God knows there's probably layers and layers of administration and senior management that could be easily moved out in some way.

'But they're going for the front line workers, the people who the public depend on, as opposed to the colossus machine behind us that requires an amount of sharpening up.

'I think they could make their savings by doing that.'