Firefighters should fight fires and soldiers should be in a position to defend their country.

We should all be worried that while the country is being warned of imminent terrorist attacks our troops may be either fighting George W Bush's wars for him half-way round the world or damping down skips and rescuing cats from trees.

Firefighters are undoubtedly brave people. They may be underpaid for the job they do. So are many others.

However, it is a little unscrupulous to take advantage of the fear of the masses and strike, thereby diminishing the ability of our country to defend itself against terrorism because our troops are attempting to do a job they are not trained to do.

Incidentally, can anybody give me an idea of how a squaddie's pay compares to a firefighter's?

-Paul Hubbard, Saltdean