17/09/03 - Claims over Call Out Arrangements Dismissed

County Councillor Jack Richardson, Cabinet spokesman for Safety Services has today dismissed claims that a change in call-out procedures for Cumbria’s Fire Service’s response to road traffic accidents have reduced the efficiency of the service. Responding to questions raised by the County Councillor for Strickland and Fell in Kendal, Dave Clarke he said:  

“Cumbria Fire Service has analysed carefully its response to road traffic accidents.  This county has a large number of very serious road traffic accidents, many of them involving fatalities.  In fact, in the first quarter of this financial year 21 people were killed on Cumbria’s roads.  The previous policy was to send one pump equipped with cutting gear to a road traffic accident and the nearest Rescue Unit/Multiple Rescue Vehicle (RU/MRV).  It has since been decided that the public interest and safety would best be served by two pumping appliances, both equipped with cutting gear and, in the case of some of the vehicles, higher standard cutting gear than is available on the MRV, to be mobilised to the incident.  This gives a far better service to the public by ensuring a prompter response of extra cutting gear and a greater number of firefighters to carry out any rescue.  

Since this change of procedure, on the 61 occasions firefighters have been called to road traffic accidents where people were reported as being trapped, there have been only 3 subsequent requests for the MRV. 

In the case of the triple fatality on the A590, the Grange appliances attended at 0754 and 0757 and the Kendal appliance, the MRV, attended at 0812.  Sadly all persons were already dead.  

In the case of the Rowan Edge Quarry incident, the Kendal appliances attended at 1025 and 1031, requested the MRV at 1029 and it arrived at 1039.  

In the case of the young person in the moat at Kendal Castle this would not normally be an incident in which the MVR would have been mobilised automatically under the old procedures. The MRV was requested for the stretcher. The original call out had been received from the Police, firefighters were assisting paramedics who were rescuing the young man.  The first crew were in attendance at 1452 and it was some 14 minutes later that they made the request for the MRV stretcher that is not carried on pumping appliances.  

The MRV is mobilised to an incident where an animal is trapped is because there is special gear on the appliance to deal with animal rescues.  This is not carried on all appliances because of the infrequent nature of animal rescues compared to the frequent nature of human rescues, particularly in road traffic accidents.  

This change of policy is completely in line the Government’s vision of the future for the Fire Service and is consistent with the approach in many other areas of the country. I am confident  that the change in no way comprises the safety of the public or reduces the efficiency of the service. In fact it makes optimum use of resources and improves the service delivered to the public, rather than perpetuating established procedures in the face of clear opportunities for improvements.”