Cornwall's 999 Calls Answered 300m Away

The arrangement would only see North Yorkishires 999 control room operators taking calls during extreme circumstances, like severe flooding

The plans need to be agreed by the Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee but if they do get the go ahead the arrangement would see North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service helping out with our calls here in the Duchy during extreme circumstances

In November Cornwall's Control room took more than 520 calls in just two days because of severe flooding - it's thought that North Yorkshire is an area unlikely to suffer adverse weather conditions at the same time as Cornwall

We asked Cornwall Council for a response on what exactly is being discussed and they told us this; 

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service deals with around 5,500 999 calls each year and these are dealt with by highly trained and experienced control operators. CFRS recently announced its commitment to improving the 999 Control room function - next year a purpose-built facility will be housed in the Service’s new headquarters in Tolvaddon.

We are always looking to improve the Service’s resilience to ensure Cornwall’s residents can call on us in an emergency. The proposal for an arrangement with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is one example of how we are looking to build this resilience. Under the proposal, which would need to be approved by the Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee, North Yorkshire’s 999 Control Room operators would take emergency calls for Cornwall during the very rare occasions where CFRS’s Control Room is dealing with multiple major emergencies and is inundated with calls. This proposal would not see North Yorkshire FRS replace Cornwall’s Control Room, the arrangement would only be invoked in extreme circumstances. At present Cornwall has a similar arrangement with Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, which recently took calls from Cornwall during the extreme flooding in November last year which saw Cornwall’s Control Room take more than 520 calls in two days. North Yorkshire has been identified as a suitable partner for this arrangement – the geographical distance means the area is unlikely to suffer severe weather at the same time as Cornwall and, like CFRS, North Yorkshire will shortly be investing in new technology for its Control Room.