FIREFIGHTERS are demanding that a colleague, accused of making racist remarks, is punished.

However, officers at The Rock station, in Bury, believe Mick Bell should receive a punishment to fit his "crime" but not the sack.

Mr Bell was suspended after, it is claimed, he questioned the need for money to be spent treating an Asian with a heart condition featured in a TV programme he was watching at Bury Fire Station.

Oldham-based firefighter Paul Greaves, who is secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Black Ethnic and Minority Members Group, overheard the comment and made a formal complaint.

Fireman Ged Birch, the FBU representative at Bury, said: "Everyone at Bury and in the service recognised what Mr Bell said was wrong and totally out of order.

"However, there is a lot of support for him as he awaits a disciplinary meeting to decide his fate. Mr Bell is not a racist and he has apologised for his comments. He does not deserve to be sacked."

The row comes amid the launch of a new recruitment process by Greater Manchester County Fire Service to raise the number of black and Asian firefighters from 16 to 160 by 2009.

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