As the campaign continues to save Falmouth firestation’s full-time cover at night, Labour’s parliamentary candidate Charlotte MacKenzie visited Falmouth firestation with Cornwall County Councillor Gerald Chin-Quee.

Local fireservices and the budget to support them is being discussed at the Community Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday 23 January. A report for that committee by Chief Fire Officer Matt Littmoden says that “Station strengths are now at an absolute minimum”. Falmouth Labour Party wants the County Council to lift the recruitment freeze which has been in place since the Liberal Democrats took control of the County Council in 2005, resulting in 16 unfilled vacancies for full-time firefighters. Independent assessment of the County Council’s performance since 2005 confirm that the fireservice only meets minimum requirements.

Speaking after the visit to Falmouth firestation, Councillor Gerald Chin-Quee said “The greatest risks facing Falmouth are at night: statistically more fires, more risk of death, greater area to cover geographicallly. Our population – thanks to the continuing influx of students – is rising faster than any town in Cornwall, with the widest range of risks (including the Docks) whilst being far from the A30 and having the rural hinterland to contend with on top. All this at a time when the fire service is 10% below strength, increasing pressure on the already failing recruitment of retained firefighters. Now tell me we are LESS in need of 24 hour fire cover by full time manned fire station. Its absolutely ridiculous. What does it take to convince those at County Hall – another Penhallow?”

Charlotte MacKenzie said: “We want the Council to fill the full-time vacancies which are currently leaving some firecrews undermanned in Falmouth and Truro. It isn’t enough to invest in improvements to the retained service. Ken Yeo and his colleagues should remove the threat to Falmouth’s 24-hour cover, which has hung over the firestation for more than a year. It is bad for morale – and the reputation of the service – for firefighters to be forced to respond to calls with less than a full crew. The whole service operates on the basis that full-time firefighters and retained crews are there when needed to back each other up. Cornwall County Council has an 8.5 per cent increase in Government funding next year and it is scandalous that they are not making fireservices a priority.”

Labour’s petition to keep Falmouth’s 24-hour full-time cover can be signed here.

Photos: (above) Councillor Gerald Chin-Quee and Charlotte MacKenzie with Falmouth firecrew and the specialist water rescue equipment based at the station.
(below) Mark Boeck and Charlotte Mackenzie.

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