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Hayle
Eye has learned that the ‘Hayle Safe’ scheme launched amid a
blaze of publicity in September 2004 may about to be
extinguished. Eye reader’s may recall how Cornwall County
Council reneged on its promise of providing a fire station for
Hayle, and decided to embark on cheaper alternative scheme of
raising awareness of fire risks and providing smoke alarms
instead.
While
the 'Hayle Safe' scheme was welcomed by local politicians, many
local people were left feeling 'flaming angry' that once again
Hayle was being treated as the poor relation of the county and
was not receiving the services that it was entitled to. Many
pointed out the folly of having smoke alarms if there was no
fire engine to respond to the alarm when it sounded and of
course the accidents, rescue and other services that the fire
service supplies were all highlighted but the politicians
remained unimpressed.
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Perhaps the most
infamous protest was led by Geoff and Malcolm Holman who
were so angered by the fact that Hayle was totally
reliant on Camborne for fire cover that they parodied
the scheme with the now infamous ‘Cock Robin’ a Reliant
Robin complete with flashing lights, ladders and hose.
It has to be said
that the healthy scepticism with which the ‘fire free
zone’ was received by local people seems to have been
well founded as the figures for ‘incidents’ requiring
the attendance of the fire service in Hayle showed no
significant improvement.
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'Cock Robin' makes his
Debut in 2004 |
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So
having saved money by not providing a proper fire service for
Hayle, the second rate scheme that was put in to damp down local
anger is now going to be withdrawn. We understand that the
reason being given are that grant funding for it has run out and
there is no other money can be made available.
Cost
cutting will also see the much heralded 'Joint Responder' scheme
axed in West Cornwall. So the fire service will no longer be
attending medical emergencies in rural areas and providing
urgent medical assistance prior to the attendance of an
ambulance or doctor.
Time to
dust down ‘Cock Robin’ again? |
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