Plan to phase out South West co-responder service criticised
A union has warned some rural fire stations are at risk of closure due to a decision to phase out a role which sees firefighters be first responders in some medical emergencies in the south-west of England.Some firefighters are trained to co-respond to fire and medical calls but the South Western Ambulance Service Trust said this was no longer financially viable.The trust said it saved about £60 per call by using its voluntary community first responders, who are paid only expenses.The Fire and Rescue Services Association said the viability of some fire stations depended on the payments received for delivering medical care.
'Absolutely aghast'
Tristan Ashby, chief executive of the union, said: "Co-responder calls can very much outweigh the number of standard fire calls that a station receives, so in terms of the recruitment and retention for on-call firefighters, it is vitally important that we continue fire co-responders within the South West."We were absolutely aghast when we heard... that [the ambulance trust] wanted to make the move from the fire co-responders to volunteers."The union said it had been told the total annual savings projected by the ambulance trust was about £280,000It said the sum was "an extremely small amount of money within the grand scheme of fire service budgets".
The trust did not comment on the total projected savings but said financial considerations were just one part of its decision and patients would benefit from a higher level of care from community first responders.Mr Ashby said the union was calling on fire services or the government to consider paying the trust to keep using fire co-responders.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was not aware of a payment to the ambulance trust being part of discussions so far.It said fire co-responders had "carried out some amazing acts" in the 27 years they had operated in Devon and Somerset."We are saddened to see that South Western Ambulance Service will be phasing co-responding out," it said.
'Incredibly sad'
Kathryn Billing, Cornwall's chief fire officer, said co-responders had worked with "exceptional dedication" and "saved countless lives"."I am disappointed by the decision to cease our co-responding agreement," she said."Our firefighters have provided a consistent, professional community response for nearly three decades."This is an incredibly sad end to a partnership which I know has made a significant difference to so many in our most rurally isolated communities. "I am incredibly proud of one and all who have been involved with our co-responders partnership over the past 29 years, the passion, pride and professionalism and the lives saved will not be forgotten by us nor the communities they serve."
Training offered
The ambulance trust said community first responders "receive an enhanced level of clinical training"It said: "As part of the transition, we have invited fire co-responders to train to become community first responders, so they can acquire new skills and continue to help support their local community in a medical emergency."The BBC has asked the government for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Make your dad feel extra special this Father's Day by sending him a message in The Sun on Sunday
THIS Sunday is Father's Day and we want to know why YOUR dad is the greatest. So if you want to send your dad – or the father figure in your life - an extra special message this Father's Day, now you can with the help of The Sun on Sunday. 1 Email us in your messages of love and appreciation – and we'll print a selection of them in this Sunday's paper. You can tell him why he is the greatest, send him a poem or simply say how much you love him.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Fisherman catches rare lobster twice in two weeks
A fisherman has caught a rare blue lobster twice in a fortnight. Marc Newton, 35, hauled in the brightly-coloured crustaceans from the English Channel just 12 days apart. The fourth-generation fisherman, from Beer, Devon, caught the electric blue lobsters despite extreme odds, which some marine biologists have estimated are about two million to one. The rare colour is caused by a genetic mutation, which prompts the over-production of a certain protein. Mr Newton released the lobsters back into the waters on both occasions. The family fishing boat, Bess, is skippered by his father Jim, who has been fishing since he could walk. Mr Newton said: 'Our family has been supplying fresh local fish from our shop on Beer beach for the last 45 years. 'We're now the fourth generation carrying on this tradition.' He wrote in a social media post: 'Here he is again. On the left, we caught what looks like the same rare blue lobster as the other day. 'What do you think? Same or a different one?' Blue lobsters have been caught near Plymouth, Polperro, and Bangor, Northern Ireland, in recent years. It is even rarer for lobsters to be white in colour – only about one in 100 million are. In 2019, an albino lobster was caught near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and donated to the National Trust. The lobster's appearance was caused by a genetic defect called leucism, which leaves it with no pigment in its shell. Blue lobster is considered a delicacy, and starred in a lavish state dinner hosted by Emmanuel Macron for King Charles in 2023. The Élysée Palace spent close to €500,000 on the September visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla, which included about €40,000 on wine. The starter of blue lobster and crab was inspired by Louis XIV 's tastes. The feast was executed by a team of 45 chefs led by Yannick Alléno, Anne-Sophie Pic and French pastry chef Pierre Hermé, all of whom have Michelin stars.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Don't let a vocal minority silence Britain's ancient church bells
There used to be a tradition that ringing church bells would drive out evil spirits. Now it's the bells that are being driven out. The latest set of chimes to fall foul of complainers are in Mytholmroyd. It's a small West Yorkshire village, best known as the birthplace of Ted Hughes. Perhaps it was the bells of St Michael's Church that inspired the late Poet Laureate to write in one of his rhymes for children about a bell's 'clang of mumbling boom'. But that clang was far from mumbling for three residents who said they were being kept awake all night by the chimes, ringing every 15 minutes. A noise abatement order imposed on the bells means they now can't be rung at all, so for the first time in 100 years they have fallen silent. There have been similar ding dongs over church bells elsewhere in the past few years: in both Witheridge and Kenton in Devon, in Helpringham in Lincolnshire, and in Beith in Ayrshire, usually by people saying that chimes through the night in these rural neighbourhoods are ruining their sleep. As someone who lives in a city, used to police helicopters overhead, ice cream vans blaring their tinny tunes, trains rattling past, and crowds of students staggering home at night under the influence of numerous intoxicants, I have to say I do find the noise of the countryside rather disturbing. Here in the city, these noises are part of a constant soundscape. In the country, there is an enveloping silence, but then you will be jolted into wakefulness by a cockerel's piercing crow, or a huge piece of farm machinery rattling past, or a herd of cattle lowing their way to milking. But a church bell chime, surely, is in a minor key compared to these other rural interruptions? For me the sound of bells is, well, music to my ears. Despite the planes flying into Heathrow over my head and the police sirens blaring outside my door, I can still hear the sound of a bell nearby, which rings regularly to mark Divine Office being said in a local monastery as well as the Angelus at noon. On Sundays, a peal of bells sounds out at a nearby church, and on weekday evenings too you can hear the ringing, as the tower captain and his team practise Plain Bob Major or Grandsire Triples or one of those other extraordinary mathematical formulas, known as changes, that make up bell-ringing. But the kind of change we don't want is something so quintessentially English as bell-ringing to disappear because after a few people make a fuss, officialdom steps in. The bells of Mytholmroyd were silenced when just three people objected – but the 1,200 residents who wanted the chimes to continue had their petition ignored. It's a growing pattern: a few complaints put an end to chimes that had been loved by communities for generations. Yet there's more at stake here than bells. It sounds a death-knell for our tradition of going with what the majority want.
