Falmouth and Camborne MP Julia Goldsworthy spent a day on duty with black watch at Camborne Fire Station.

Ms Goldsworthy found out first hand what goes on between calls, as well as joining the team as they responded to shouts throughout the day.

The station is home to West Cornwall's Road Traffic Accident Unit, which is regularly called out to incidents on the A30. During a training exercise with the Black Watch, Ms Goldsworthy used "the Jaws of Life" to cut the roof off a car.

She said: "It's good to know that this powerful hi-tech equipment is available in the event of an emergency, along with specialist units to tackle chemical spills or terrorist attacks. It's very complex equipment that needs a lot of training to ensure that it is used correctly and safely."

After the training exercise and between callouts, the local MP went door-to-door with firefighters who were performing fire-safety checks on homes around Camborne.

Commenting on her day, Ms Goldsworthy said: "I've knocked on plenty of doors in my time, but being accompanied by two handsome men in uniform seems to be the secret to getting a warm reception! In just a couple of hours we carried out dozens of fire-safety checks and installed several free smoke detectors. This work in the community, as well as responding to emergencies is key to keeping local people safe."

Following her day with the local firefighters, Ms Goldsworthy has said that she will write to Parmjit Dhanda, the Under Secretary of State, requesting that he meets with a delegation of county councillors and MPs to discuss fire cover in the county.