A FIRE station has reminded the public it is there to help in emergency situations after a member of the public did not call them because they thought they would be charged £500.

Bentham Fire Station issued the reminder on August 23 after an alleged incident at the weekend.

The message came after a man reportedly fell down the banks of the River Greta, near Burton, and instead of requesting assistance from the fire service, members of the public decided to intervene because they thought the call out would cost them hundreds of pounds.

Taking to social media the station’s team said: “We have been contacted by a member of public regarding an incident in the Burton area this weekend.

“From what we have been told, a gentleman had fallen down a banking by the River Greta and was unable to climb back up.

“Apparently it was discussed about contacting the fire service through 999, but another member of the public believed there would be a £500 charge for the call out.

“This apparently resulted in more people putting themselves into potential danger, climbing down and trying to assist.

“We would like to take some time to explain, there most definitely wouldn't have been a charge for this call out.”

The statement then quoted responsibilities under the Fire and Rescue Service ACT 2004 from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s website.

“The Fire & Rescue Services Act 2004 sets out the duties and powers of fire authorities. Under the Act, the Fire Authority has a number of core functions:

• Fire Safety – promoting fire safety, including the provision of information and publicity on steps to be taken to prevent fires and the giving of advice on how to prevent fires and on the means of escape from buildings in case of fire.

• Fire Fighting – extinguishing fires and protecting life and property in the event of fires.

• Road Traffic Accidents – rescuing people in the event of road traffic accidents and protecting people from serious harm in the event of road traffic accidents.

• Emergencies – when necessary, deal with emergencies, other than fires and road traffic accidents.”