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'Closing our fire control rooms could risk lives'

Sue Carr
24/ 8/2005

GLOSSOP firefighters say plans to replace their control room with a regional centre in Leicestershire could cost lives.

Under new government proposals, 46 fire control rooms across England are to be replaced with nine regional centres at a cost of £1bn.

The control room at Littleover near Derby and also those in Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire are to be closed in favour of one main centre at Castle Donington, Leicestershire.

Ministers confirmed the move earlier this month saying that, despite cutting up to 380 jobs, the centres would make fire service responses more efficient and save £20m a year.

But along with firefighters across the country, crews in Glossop have slammed the plans as 'awful' and 'a waste of money' and say they will make no difference at all.

"If it ain't broke, why spend a billion pounds of taxpayers money trying to fix it?" said Sub-Officer Rob McGrother, chairman of Glossop's Fire Brigade Union.

"It will cost a fortune and it won't be any more efficient, it's an awful idea.

"Our biggest concerns are the job losses but also the loss of local knowledge.

"Sometimes when people phone they can see a fire but they don't necessarily know exactly where it is, especially in somewhere like the High Peak.

"If the people they are speaking to know the area, the chances are they will recognise the description and be able to send an appliance straight away.

"A lot of the time it's people or even children in distress and so that knowledge is especially important.

"I'm sure the regional centre staff will be highly skilled but there's no way they can have the same knowledge that our current control room staff have. Our only hope is that it won't cost lives."

Councillor Peter Roffey, chairman of the East Midlands Regional Management Board, said: "We understand and appreciate that this has been unpopular with some staff and representative trade unions.

"But the government was very clear that they were going to make this happen. We believe it is in our staff's and the public's best interest to work with the government on this project to ensure the best deal for everyone."