Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

Redruth Area at 29/07/2015 22:49

Fire Control received 2 calls from a child stating her house was on fire but was unable to give an exact address. Operators using the location of the call tracked the location and a fire appliance was sent to investigate the area. On arrival of the crews the call was found to be a hoax. This incident from start to finish lasted 45 minutes, taking up valuable time of control staff and responding personnel.

Whilst the emergency personnel were responding to this incident they were not available to answer a genuine call for help. Had a real emergency occured in this area, resources would have had to travel from a greater distance, which would have resulted in an unnecessary delay in help arriving. This extra time may be the difference between life and death.

Have you taught your child about the dangers of making hoax calls?