GOVERNMENT MUST FUND CORNWALL'S FIRE SERVICE FAIRLY

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 20th Aug 2007

Following the tragic fire at a Newquay hotel on Saturday morning, Falmouth and Camborne MP, Julia Goldsworthy, who has recently raised the issue of fire cover in Cornwall in Parliament, said:

"The retained firefighters responding to the fire in Newquay must be commended for responding so quickly, bravely and professionally. But equally, Cornwall's whole time crews based in Falmouth and Camborne made a very important contribution to tackling the blaze.

"Inadequate Government funding means the local authority have been forced to consider downgrading Falmouth and Camborne stations to day manned only - making Cornwall the only authority in the country with no 24 hr crewed stations.

"This intervention by the crews in Falmouth and Camborne further demonstrates that the downgrading of these stations could have a detrimental effect on fire cover not just within the immediate locality, but across the whole of the county.

"The weekend's tragic events highlight the need for the government to look again at how Cornwall's fire service is funded. It's all very well forcing the county to make further efficiency savings, but Cornwall already relies heavily on the fantastic work of our retained force. Given the geography of the county, and the seasonal demands that tourism places on our services, the government must look again at how such services are funded, so that we can have a fire service that meets Cornwall's needs."