'Education is crucial in preventing fire deaths' says Julia

1.00.00pm GMT Mon 5th Nov 2007

Julia Goldsworthy has praised the work of firefighters in raising fire safety awareness. Her comments come after sad news last week that an elderly gentleman in Beacon had died following a fire in his property.

Julia recently spent a day with firefighters at Camborne Fire Station, to experience their work first hand. As well as training and responding to shouts, Julia also spent time with firefighters knocking on doors, checking that people had working smoke alarms and helping to alert them to any fire risks in their property.

Commenting on the fatal fire in Camborne, Julia said:

"In Camborne we are very lucky to have an excellent fire service - one which we are right to fight to protect. Unfortunately in this case, it seems that the fire was already well underway by the time the Service were called - which very sadly meant a life was lost. I have been briefed by the Chief Officer, and will be sure to raise any relevant issues from the investigation are raised when I meet with Ministers in a couple of weeks' time.

"This terrible accident highlights the importance of the work done by our local fire services in knocking on doors and giving people advice on how to protect their homes from fire. I saw this process firsthand recently when I spent a day with local firefighters. In just a couple of hours we carried out dozens of fire-safety checks and installed several free smoke detectors. The work our firefighters do to help local people, both in the community and during emergencies, cannot be praised highly enough. "