FBU union slams potential plans to scrap Cornwall's fire control centre
The site, based at Tolvaddon, handles Cornwall's 999 calls and mobilises crews to emergencies
Last updated 18th Sep 2022
The Fire Brigades Union has said that Cornwall Council should be "utterly ashamed" after plans to scrap the 999 control centre for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service were revealed. The union was responding after staff were told in a meeting that the control room could close in March 2023.
Cornwall Council has said that no decisions have yet been made on the future of the control centre but has indicated that it was exploring merging the service with another fire service elsewhere in the country.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said that if the closure happened then all staff would be made redundant or redeployed elsewhere. It said that the decision was being made solely to save money and said that it would be opposing the "ridiculous move" in the interests of public safety.
Statement from the Fire Brigades Union
Guy Herrington, Fire Brigades Union South West regional secretary, said: "This proposal is purely a financial decision. Cornwall Council must fund the service properly to ensure that the residents, and visitors to the county, receive a service that is fit for the 21st century, and that includes fire control. Central government funding cuts since 2010 are directly responsible for absurd decisions that fire and rescue services are having to consider.
"Shutting down the entirety of fire and rescue control is ridiculous, and no way to thank hard-working control staff for their dedication throughout the pandemic.
"Cornwall Council should be utterly ashamed of themselves for refusing to invest in a critical part of the service that ensure the safety of the public and firefighters, when they hold many millions of pounds in reserve. They are holding an axe above our members’ heads.
“Highly specialised skills and knowledge are required to handle fire and rescue calls. The ability of control staff to assist in identifying incident locations, while mobilising resources at the same time, cannot be underestimated. IT systems are not 100% reliable, and when failures occur, it is vital that the control operators are able to cope in all circumstances.
"You can't just have another emergency service doing it, it’s simply not that easy. It is basic common sense that you cannot run a fire and rescue service without proper funding and skilled staff.
"Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has the slowest response times in the UK, closing control instead of investing will only worsen this situation, yet this seems to have been ignored by Cornwall Council and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service. We will be opposing this ridiculous move on behalf of our members and in the interests of public safety".
It is not known whether Cornwall councillors have been briefed about the proposals or discussed them.
Any changes to the Fire and Rescue Service should go to Cornwall Council's neighbourhoods overview and scrutiny committee and there has been nothing on any of the committee’s recent agendas.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted Carol Mould, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, and Kevin Towill, chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee, about the issue but has received no response.
Statement from Cornwall's Chief Fire Officer
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Kathryn Billing has said: "Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has been looking at all areas of the service to make sure we are making the best use of public money, continually improve the service and ensure sustainability for the future.
"There is an ongoing project to review fire control (the function of taking 999 calls and mobilising fire engines to emergencies). Yesterday staff were talked through the scope of the project for the first time and made aware that one option the service is exploring is to move into a partnership with other fire services to deliver the call handling and mobilising function of control.
"This has already been done successfully in other regions and could lead to Cornwall benefiting from enhanced mobilising technology. No decisions have been taken, but staff will be kept fully informed, and as the project continues more information will be provided as it becomes available".