POLICE and Fire Community Support Officer Mark James, of Holsworthy, wants to reassure the public that lives will not be put at risk, after the news that fire crews will no longer be attending calls to some minor non-fire related incidents, writes Zoë Uglow.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service will no longer be attending minor, non-fire related incidents where lives are not at risk, as they have done in the past.

The move is designed to ensure that fire crews, including those in Holsworthy, are available during any life-threatening emergencies as quickly as possible. It is hoped this will save the service more than £100,000 a year.

PFCSO James, told the Post: “The worrying thing for the public is when they see words relating to an RTC and ‘not responding’ they panic.

“I want to reassure the public that this is not the case, the new system will simply free up the fire services enabling them to attend to more life threatening situations.

“Of course, if an incident is reported and there is a potential risk to life present fire crews and PFCSOs will always respond.

“For example, in the last couple of weeks there have been two incidents that I have attended alongside the fire crew, it turned out the incidents were not as first appeared and we were not required, however, we still responded and will continue to do so when appropriate.”

The Holsworthy fire service will no longer be attending minor, non-fire related incidents including making the scene of a road traffic collision safe and the clear up of fuel or liquid spillages.

Where there is risk to the environment the appropriate services will be sent out to clear up and protect any scene.

PFCSO James said: “As I said, this new move is to free up the fire crews so they can be available for incidents that pose a threat to life.

“I think what may have confused some people is the implication that these ‘minor’ incidents, like fuel spillages, wont be dealt with at all. That is not the case; I think historically fire and rescue have obliged with matters such as spills etcetera but there is often with these incidents no immediate danger to life.

“It isn’t that these incidents won’t get sorted, they just won’t be dealt with by firefighters but will instead be done by another service,

“For example a fuel spill will be taken on by the highways agencies who will cover a spill with sawdust and for car wreckages that are blocking roads the police will move the vehicle or a private recovery agent will be called out to assist.”

In a previous statement, Group Manager for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service firefighters, Andy Rowse, said: “If there was any concern that lives may be at risk, of course we would still go. But our attendance at many of these types of incidents is based on historical conventions and is no longer necessary.

“It is not the best use of our resources to carry out routine tasks at incidents which could be carried out by others when there may be a more serious incident happening elsewhere.”

The overall message is that although fire crews will not be attending these minor incidents, fire control operators will still ensure that no one’s life is put at risk or distress.

Where there is threat to the environment the appropriate services will be called out to deal with fuels or liquid spills, but if there is any doubt when a call is made the fire crews will still be sent out to attend to ensure that life is not at risk.