Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that there is an ongoing review over its control centre – in response to claims the centre could close within six months.

However, suggestions that the Cornwall could partner with control rooms in other parts of the country to handle 999 calls has led to concerns over the impact on safely, due to lack of local knowledge.

The Packet received an anonymous email claiming: "Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service control centre will be closing in six months! The fire chief told staff this afternoon!"

When contacted by the Packet, Cornwall Council issued a statement from Chief Fire Officer Kathryn Billing confirming that there is an "ongoing project to review Fire Control" but that no decision had been taken yet.

It also revealed that one option being looked at was to go into partnership with other fire services in regards to receiving 999 calls and sending out resources to incidents.

Ms Billing said: "Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has been looking at all areas of the service to make sure we are making the best use of public money, continually improve the service and ensure sustainability for the future.

"There is an ongoing project to review Fire Control (the function of taking 999 calls and mobilising fire engines to emergencies).

"Yesterday [Wednesday] staff were talked through the scope of the project for the first time and made aware that one option the service is exploring is to move into a partnership with other fire services to deliver the call handling and mobilising function of control.

"This has already been done successfully in other regions and could lead to Cornwall benefitting from enhanced mobilising technology.

"No decisions have been taken, but staff will be kept fully informed, and as the project continues more information will be provided as it becomes available."

Only nine months ago Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service was told it needed to make decisions about its resources "on risk, not on savings" after the service was rated as ‘requires improvement’ at an inspection into its standards.

In Decmber Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services found improvement was still needed, although did identify progress since the last inspection, which the fire service described as "significant".

However, the inspector said: "The service must robustly address its finance and resource needs so it can build capacity for improvement and change.

"It should base resourcing decisions on risk, not on savings."

READ MORE: 'Base decisions on risk not savings': Fire service told it 'requires improvement'

A source close to Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service claimed to the Packet that there were actually three options available now – but that "the other two were not being explored."

They also shared fears about what would happen if call handling was dealt with by people "hundreds of miles away", with no local knowledge of Cornish areas.

In an email shared with the newspaper, which was sent to Cornwall's MPs and Cornwall councillors, the person claimed: "I write today with sadness and shock that I hear that Cornwall’s Fire Service and Rescue Control function is to end on 31st March 2023 and be effectively sub-let to another service to run (with at time of writing no service agreed to take this on).

"The main purpose of this email is to express shock and concern about how this decision has been reached and how the decision has been announced without any consultation with staff or public and it is my understanding the decision has not been scrutinised by the council.

"I am aware this matter is to go before yourselves in early October but it seems the process of this is pointless if the Senior Leadership Team at Cornwall Fire Service have already made their decision."

They went on to add: "While there are many further things that need thinking about, ultimately fire safety for Cornwall and the impact this decision will have on Cornwall (they do so much more than fire calls including CCTV, fire safety etc), this email is to ask were the councillors and MPs aware that closure and redundancy has been announced before it has even gone to yourselves?

"There has been no public consultation, I am informed there has been no internal consultation and this decision has been made by a very few select people at the top of the chain."

And they concluded: "There is so much more that could be said, but I just want to leave you all with the thought about what August wildfires would have looked like, how would the Malpas fire have developed, if they are being managed and controlled by people hundreds of miles away with absolutely no Cornish knowledge? We are such a unique area of the country geographically."

When contacted for a response to the claims in the letter, a Cornwall Council spokesperson reiterated the statement, pointing to the fact it stated no decision had been made and there was therefore nothing for the council to scrutinise yet.