2,000 members of the Retained Firefighter service will begin industrial action today with up to half of stations in the service set to be closed.
SIPTU which represents the workers is warning the action will result in very serious disruption to services.
SIPTU's Brendan O’Brien says members have been left with no option because the very future of the service is in doubt if the current crisis over pay, recruitment and retention isn't resolved.
"The Department and the local authorities need to address two key areas for our members - addressing the deficit in our members' ability to take structured leave, and also to address their diminishing income by making a greater proportion of their pay structured pay. So they're the two issues."
