A DERBY MP has said Prime Minister David Cameron is "culpable" for firefighters striking this weekend.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union. which includes officers from Derbyshire, have announced they will be taking strike action today, tomorrow and Sunday.
The Government wants firefighters to work up to the age of 60 but the union says that is too old and they believe the national pension age of 55 should remain.
Derby North MP Mr Williamson said: "I feel very sympathetic to the firefighters.
"They rightly feel aggrieved at the issue of the pension age and this is a public safety issue.
"Fire-fighting is a very physical occupation and officers need to be fit for the task in hand."
Union members will walk out for five hours from noon today, between 2pm and 2am tomorrow and between 10am and 3pm on Sunday.
Mr Williamson said: "Firefighters risk their lives on a daily basis and deserve better than their treatment by this government."
Chris Tapp, secretary for the Derbyshire branch of the Fire Brigades Union, said firefighters would be on picket lines and demonstrations during the strikes.
He said: "It is clear from the FBU that we need to see a better offer on the table.
"But there has not been so we have had to take action."
He said officers across Derbyshire will not be responding to 99.9% of incidents.
They will only cross the picket lines if it is a "large scale, major, life threatening incident".
Derby City Council's Conservative opposition leader Philip Hickson and Lib Dem's Hilary Jones were both unavailable for comment.
