It seems that you haven't checked your facts about the firefighters' working practices, unless you consider working a 48-hour shift short hours (Oxford Mail, November 30).

Most of the population work only a 35 or 37-hour week.

Let me inform you that a firefighter in Oxford works two nine-hour day shifts, followed by two 15-hour night shifts. These shifts cover 365 days a year including weekends, Christmas, Easter and any other bank holidays.

Surely they have earned four days off before their next 48-hour shifts.

Some of them do part-time work to supplement their wages, not because of short hours as you have implied.

Countless other low-paid workers also choose to work part-time in the evenings or at weekends, so are their hours too short as well?

H K ANDERSON

Stansfeld Place

Wood Farm

Oxford