Firefighters say axing control room could put lives at risk (From Warrington Guardian)

Firefighters say axing control room could put lives at risk

CREWE firefighters have slammed plans to axe the county's fire service control room, saying lives in Cheshire will be put at serious risk.

Staff at theWinsford headquarters currently handle all the 999 calls made from Crewe and Nantwich, as well as the rest of the county.

But if a Government initiative to close all 46 emergency fire control rooms to be replaced with nine remote centres goes ahead, it will see residents' calls put through to a base dealing with the whole of the North West.

The proposal is currently out for consultation, but Crewe firefighter and Fire Brigade Union secretary, Dave Williams, fears residents' lives will be endangered if the move goes ahead.

"We have genuine fears this project will see lives lost, cuts to frontline services, technology which does not work, and massive overspend," he said.

"To subject a 999 instant response rescue service to these sort of risks is wholly unacceptable.

"If this comes into operation, we are going to lose a lot of local knowledge and that will put lives at risk.

"Staff at Winsford can have us mobilised within less than 45 seconds from receiving a call and they have such knowledge of the areas in the county they can get fire appliances to places quickly and with knowledge of buildings and what they might be facing when they get there.

"The final cost of Government plans to close all 46 emergency fire control rooms could easily exceed £1billion according to new research carried out by the Fire Brigades Union.

"This service is going to be paid for by cutting frontline services in Cheshire and by Council Tax payers.

"We are now campaigning for support from Cheshire's MPs and Cheshire Fire Authority to get this proposal overturned because the South West has been earmarked as the first area to undergo the change in the early part of 2008."