Fire chiefs are pushing ahead with a consultation to relocate fire stations to a new £6m emergency services hub in Cornwall.
The controversial plans would mean the closure of community fire stations in Camborne and Redruth, and moving current services to a new central hub in Pool – a town roughly equidistant between the two.
Under the complex proposals, this new station would service the Redruth, Camborne and Pool areas, with an additional station built in Hayle.
Fire chiefs insist that the same number of fire engines and specialist appliances will service the area, but they will be more suitably distributed to reach a greater proportion of the public within 10 minutes.
Currently Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service are able to reach 44% of the population in this area in under ten minutes. Under the new proposals this would increase by 15,000 to reach 65% of the population in this time.
The new station near Pool would be staffed 24/7 by both full time and on-call staff.
Paul Walker, deputy chief fire officer for CFRS said, “Providing one community fire station in the Camborne, Pool and Redruth area and one in Hayle will significantly improve our emergency response capability in this area and increase our capacity to target and deliver our community safety resources in the areas of most need.”
Critics of the proposal however are concerned that the plans could put lives at risk. Independent county councillor Lisa Dolley, speaking to newspaper the Western Morning News, said, "I'm extremely concerned, not just about the safety of the people of Redruth, but also in the surrounding villages to the east. If the station is moved further away, it will put more lives at risk, not less."
Combined services
The new community fire station in Hayle would also be staffed 24/7, and could provide a tri-service facility with the South Western Ambulance Trust and Devon and Cornwall Constabulary being asked if they would also be interested in sharing the new facility.
The consultation for the plans will begin on January 16th and the findings reported back in June this year.
