My father said you shouldn’t believe all you are told.

My father, a firefighter in the 1950-60s, told me many, many years ago that all firemen took their turn on the telephone, toured around their town and as a result they could quickly interrogate a telephone caller and be able to identify the address and area where a fire was and get there quickly.

No mobile phones in those days of course.

These days I’ve witnessed fire engines – my Dad said they were appliances not engines – ambulances, and police turning up at the wrong address.

And that’s because of call centre workers who do not have the capability of knowing individual areas, and this is just Dorset combined services.

How many times have you called the emergency services and spend vital minutes trying to explain where you live – or where the accident is?

For me, combining Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service will, maybe, save a bit of cash through reduced admin, but at what cost?

How many minutes, which can be vital at a fire or road accident and the difference between life and death, will this cost?

Roger Genge
Weymouth