GREATER Manchester Fire and Civil Defence Authority is the body which pays my wages as a firefighter. It was therefore rather worrying to read in the Bury Times (Oct 25) of Councillor Alan Matthews' apparent ignorance of my earnings.

After 21 years' service, my salary is not in line with that of a police officer with the same length of service, and to suggest that I actually earn more than a doctor of similar experience is simply laughable. Even if, as he says, our rise were to put £20 onto Bury's community charge, that is still just 39p a week!

However, I think it is wrong to continually compare us to other groups of workers. My job is unique. I cannot think of any other occupation which requires so many diverse skills.

Let's get away from the "heroes doing a dangerous job" nonsense and look at what we actually do. Trapped in your crashed car? It is my help you need. Is your dog stuck down a hole, your cow in a slurry pit or has your horse fallen down a bank into a river? Better call the fire service. Perhaps you have spilt a drum of chemicals at work, or a colleague has their hand trapped in a machine; then you will want us. Fallen over a steep edge while out walking? Don't worry, we will be there shortly -- and we don't even want to think about horrors such as train or 'plane crashes, do we?( It is a good job that firefighters do think about them though). Oh, and most days there is a fire or two as well.

Of course we don't do all this alone; we work closely with colleagues in the police and ambulance services, the RSPCA, mountain rescue teams and others. But a firefighter is the only person who does all of these things and more.

So I don't want pay parity with any other worker, I want to be valued as a member of, and as a servant to, my community and I want this reflected in my pay packet. Despite what Coun Matthews thinks, it is not, not by a long way. I don't want to go on strike. My family, friends and neighbours are all at risk, just as everyone else is, but £21,500 a year for what I do is peanuts. The fact that when your world turns upside down we are prepared to run the opposite way to everyone else and sort it out for you makes us, even at £30,000 a year, the bargain of a lifetime.

Coincidentally, though, there is one person who already gets the £30,000 a year we are asking for, Wigan councillor Fred Walker, the chairman of the Fire Authority. He is able to draw that sum each year in allowances. Perhaps Coun Matthews thinks that is silly too!

MICK CANT,

Gorsey Clough Walk,

Tottington.