Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 19/01/2009 09:59

Cornwall County Fire Brigade has today announced a brand new partnership with ‘Poppy Calls’, the free of charge gardening, repairs and maintenance service from The British Legion, aimed at veterans, ex service personnel and their widows/widowers.

The ‘Poppy Calls’ service and Cornwall County Fire Brigade will be working together across Cornwall, to each in turn ensure Home Fire Safety Checks and necessary home repairs are carried out in older or disabled veterans’ homes.

Ian explains, “In my work for ‘Poppy Calls’ I come across a lot of people who are either older or may have been disabled in the line of duty. They may not only need work doing around the house but need help with checking that they are safe from accidents. I have previously been a Fire Chief in the Royal Navy so it was only natural for me to check smoke alarms and exit routes while I was in people’s homes. It was then that I realised I could help with the Brigade’s work in checking the homes of older and more vulnerable people, and Steve Benney, who I contacted, was extremely enthusiastic.”

Ian was taken through the paces of how to carry out a full Home Fire Safety Check by Steve and his work will be officially recorded back at Brigade HQ.

In return, Cornwall’s firefighters will be looking out for emergency repair work needed in homes of elderly or disabled people they visit as part of their community safety work and Home Fire Safety Checks. They will recommend the ‘Poppy Calls’ service to veterans and ex services personnel that need help with maintenance and repairs to their homes.

Chief Fire Officer Terry Standing comments, “This kind of partnership working is exactly the direction the Brigade needs to be heading in. This is truly a case of services adding value to each other whilst making the best use of the resources available. I’m delighted that Steve and Ian have got the ball rolling on this initiative and look forward to seeing the results in the future.”

Poppy Calls can be contacted by calling 01480 478031 and a free Home Fire Safety Check can be carried out by Cornwall County Fire Brigade by calling 0800 3581 999.

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Notes to Editors

Picture shows Ian Woodhead of Poppy Calls and Steve Benney of Cornwall County Fire Brigade.

The new Poppy Calls service aims to help give veterans and members of the ex-service community the freedom to stay independent in their own homes and is available in a number of counties, with a view to expanding nationally by 2009.

This scheme is designed to offer help with awkward jobs such as minor repairs, or fitting essential devices such as smoke detectors. The Royal British Legion also has its own 24 hour care community alarm system (Lifeline 400) which can also be fitted by the service.

Poppy Calls is offered to beneficiaries who qualify for British Legion assistance under The Royal Charter, which includes those who have served in the Armed Forces and their widows or dependents.

Services are available in Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cardiff, Cornwall and South Wales with more areas being added.

Poppy Calls have a centralised call centre which handles all the fitter appointments and ensures a consistent standard of service across the country. Contact them on 01480 478031.

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=47523