Fire control and firefighter members in Cornwall have saved the service’s fire control centre through months of organising and campaigning.
Cornwall council was planning to outsource emergency fire calls to outside the region. FBU members condemned this as a threat to public safety and vital fire control jobs that risked increased response times.
Local officials and members launched action across the region.
Fire control members compiled a report highlighting the varied and essential nature of their work.
Members hosted visits from Cornwall councillors, demonstrating how their professional skills, adaptability and local knowledge help to ensure successful resolutions to serious incidents.
FBU members in other roles attended rallies in numbers outside council meetings, and provided witness evidence of the importance of fire control to all aspects of fire and rescue.
As a result of this lobbying, a cross-party committee of councillors unanimously recommended to keep the control centre open 24/7 and to improve it with new jobs, IT and funding. Members and the public then contacted their local councillors to demand this recommendation was upheld.
On 22 March, Cornwall council’s cabinet voted to reverse plans to close the fire control centre.
