ONLY 38 Green Goddesses will provide cover for the whole of Greater Manchester when firefighters go on strike.

And the number of army personnel being employed to deal with emergencies is also believed to be far fewer than the 182 firefighters who work at Bolton's two stations as well as Farnworth and Horwich.

A total of 68 fire tenders usually operate in the area, plus a number of other specialist vehicles.

Nearly every off-duty Bolton firefighter joined hundreds of Fire Brigades Union members in Manchester yesterday at a meeting to support strike action.

There was representation from all 41 stations in Greater Manchester.

FBU members are pushing for a 39 per cent pay raise that could increase salaries for fully qualified staff to £30,000.

Fire service employers are only prepared to offer four per cent.

The first strike will take place next Tuesday and will last 48 hours.

Speaking at the meeting Howard Western, regional secretary of the FBU, said: "It's £30,000 -- no strings attached."

Mr Weston, who is also the Union's pay campaign co-ordinator, accused the Government of failing to listen to a "legitimate pay claim" and said an independent review set up to look at the problem was "farcical".

Talking at the Methodist Central Hall, on Oldham Street, Manchester, he said no-one wanted to go on strike, but such drastic steps had to be taken because firefighters, officers and control staff were fed up about their low pay. Before the meeting, firefighters from across Greater Manchester said they supported the strike action.

Dave Darby, the FBU representative for Farnworth, said: "We are taking home £6 an hour. My son earns £17 an hour as a mechanic.

"Every time firefighters go out of the door, we are putting ourselves at risk. All we are asking for is £8.50 an hour. That would be the right amount."

Two Green Goddesses are likely to be stationed at the Territorial Army barracks in Nelson Street, Bolton, to be operated by the Army during the strike. A further 48-hour strike is scheduled for November 2. Eight-day walk-outs are pencilled in for November 6, November 22, December 4 and December 16.

Bolton Council, said it would be keeping all of its buildings open during the fire strikes. It had a meeting yesterday with the Greater Manchester Fire Authority to discuss procedures and emergency plans for the dispute.

There was also due to be a meeting of service directors within Bolton Council today.

A council spokesman said: "The council has robust policies for dealing with fires and evacuation and has strengthened this by giving additional information and guidelines to departments.

"We will be giving advice to all our property managers but at this present time all our services and buildings will be running as usual."

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was today meeting leaders of the Fire Brigades Union, fuelling speculation that a deal to avert industrial action was being worked on.