Firefighters in Greater Manchester will drive ambulances, collect dead bodies and deliver food and medicines during the coronavirus outbreak.
The move was agreed at national level by the Fire Brigades Union, fire chiefs, and fire and rescue service employers. It will initially be in place for two months, then reviewed.
It comes just 48 hours after the union locally, agreed to lift a ban on overtime, which had been in place since October after six engines were axed from the region's fleet of 56 due to budget cuts.
Last week 62 Greater Manchester firefighters were confirmed to be in self isolation due to the virus. Under the coronavirus agreement fire crews must be able to continue responding to "core" emergencies, such as fires, and road
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