The control centre, which will help deliver the best possible service to the public, will be part of a new national network of control centres as part of the Government's major investment in modernising the Fire and Rescue Service to equip it for the demands of the 21st century. Nine control centres will replace the existing 46 local fire service control rooms across the country. The locations of seven of the sites were named as:
Cambridge Research Park, Cambridge
Belmont Business Park, Durham
Lingley Mere Business Park, Great Sankey, Warrington, Cheshire
Willow Farm Business Park, Castle Donington, Derbyshire
Paragon Business Village, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Wolverhampton Business Park, Wolverhampton
Blackbrook Business Park, Taunton, Somerset.
Discussions with developers are being finalised in the South East and it is hoped to make an announcement shortly on the location of the South East centre. London already has a regional control centre which will be integrated into the national network in time for the Olympics in 2012.
Cambridge Research Park was chosen taking into account factors such as accessibility (for both people and services), demographics, vulnerability to threats such as flooding and suitability for development.
The announcement was made by ODPM Minister Jim Fitzpatrick MP, who has responsibility for Fire. He said:
"We recognise that establishing the new network will inevitably result in change for staff. We are working very closely with the national employers so that staff are treated well, and will continue to work hard to keep staff informed of developments as they happen.
"As it is for the Fire and Rescue Service, public safety is our priority. We will work with them and other stakeholders to take this important project forward. This is all about improving public safety and improving the Fire and Rescue Service."
Norfolk's Chief Fire Officer David Worsley who is the Project Director for the East of England FiReControl project, said:
"The new control centre at Cambridge aims to not only benefit the East of England but will help deliver a more resilient fire and rescue service for the country as a whole. The region already enjoys an excellent level of service and we will be working hard to ensure that level is not only maintained but improved upon. This project is about getting the right resource to incidents in the shortest possible time, and making it safer for firefighters. We will continue to work with our stakeholders in the region to take this project forward."
John Danks, Regional Director of Slough Estates which won the contract to develop the site, said:
"We are delighted to be working with the ODPM in setting up this important and exciting project. The efficiency and responsiveness of the Fire & Rescue Service is of paramount importance and demands a high level and quality of support. We count it as a tribute to the standard of accommodation and facilities we provide to have been selected as their partners in this enterprise."
Work on the new site will begin in 2007 and work is currently underway to procure the infrastructure that will provide the state-of-the-art technology for the national network. All nine centres should be fully operational by 2009.
Contact Information
David Worsley, Project Director Tel: 01603 810351
John Danks, Slough Estates, Regional developer Tel: 01753 213429
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 4400
