11,636 FIRE CALLS AND COUNTING

12.00.00pm GMT Sun 23rd Nov 2008

Stephen Gilbert with Fire Control Officer Matt Riches at the Cornwall Fire Control Centre

Cornwall County Fire Brigade's Fire Control Centre has, so far this year, dealt with 11,636 emergency calls.

Prospective MP for St Austell & Newquay, Stephen Gilbert, uncovered the figure during a fact-finding visit to the fire control centre in Old County Hall, Truro, last week.

Stephen Gilbert was visiting the centre, which is open 24-hours a day 7-days a week and employs 17 people, to find out the latest in the Government's plans to centralise fire control operations for the whole South West region in one control centre in Taunton , Somerset .

Stephen Gilbert said: "I'm opposed to the Government's plans to centralise fire control for the South West region in one centre in Taunton . The Government's plans will mean vital local knowledge is lost and this could risk the response time to incidents. As usual the Government is determined to pull into the centre, rather than relax a little and let local people decide what is best for them."

The Government announced in August 2005 that fire control services covering an area from Bournemouth to Cheltenham and the Isles of Scilly would be centralised.