Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 10/08/2005 10:00

Cornwall County Fire Brigade is re-iterating its commitment to keeping the people of Cornwall safe – and, despite still having concerns about the principle of Regional Control Centres, will be working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the design, specification and implementation of a regional control centre for the South West .

The new Regional Control Centre announced today by the Deputy Prime Minister is the result of work commissioned by Mott MacDonald to review control rooms in Fire and Rescue services nationally. That review, and Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate Best Value Review of Fire Control and Communications in 2003, persuaded the Government to accept the recommendations and conclusions.

The Government decided that nine Regional Control Centres would be necessary to provide resilience and major efficiencies. The new Regional Control Centre for the South West will serve the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Avon.

The assurance today from Cornwall County Fire Brigade follows the announcement this morning from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the location of the new regional control centre. The control centre is to be built in Blackbrook Business Park, Taunton and has a go live window of 2008 / 2009.
In May 2004 Cornwall County Fire Brigade submitted a comprehensive report detailing why Cornwall should have been the location for a SW Regional Fire Control Centre. Cornwall County Council believed the county had made a very good case, however in June 2004 the ODPM announced that all the internal bids by the individual fire authorities were rejected. Three private company bids from outside Cornwall had been short listed. Today the successful company and site were announced.

Chief Fire Officer Matt Littmoden said. “Cornwall County Fire Brigade has expressed its concerns regarding regional control centres since it was announced that a regional approach was the preferred option by the ODPM in 2002.”

In particular the Fire Authority expressed its concerns in respect of the following:
1. the dependence which the project places on untried and untested technology
2. the apparent dismissal by the ODPM of the importance of the role Fire Control staff play in assisting, managing and resolving incidents where their local knowledge is a key influence
3. the unclear arrangements in respect of project initiation and on-going funding responsibilities and the absence of detail provided in the Outline Business Case
4. the disregard of Cornwall’s and other authorities’ Best Value Review outcomes in respect of current Fire Control Rooms, particularly in terms of function, value for money and operational efficiency; and
5. the ODPM should thoroughly review the non-core functions of existing Control Rooms and make proper arrangements for operational and financial sustainability of those functions post Regional Fire Control Rooms.
Matt Littmoden adds “Following today’s announcement that the new regional control centre will be built in Taunton, Cornwall County Fire Brigade, through the South West Regional Management Board, will ensure that it continues to work with the ODPM on the design, specification and implementation of the new South West Regional Control Centre. “

“The Brigade will seek to ensure that it will function as effectively as the current Fire Control in Truro, and meet all the needs of the Cornwall County Fire Brigade and the community it serves”.


Leader of Cornwall County Council David Whalley says, “Of course, we have continuing reservations about the regionalisation of this essential service. We were very disappointed not to have had our submissions to the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged. The London Government does not seem to understand the needs of Cornwall. We have been convinced that a regional Control Centre is not in the best interests of Cornwall or the Fire Service”.

“That said, we have now accepted the inevitability of the situation, and will work thoroughly on behalf of the people of Cornwall with all the agencies concerned to make this new regime as good as it can possibly be.”

These concerns are also shared by Ken Yeo, the Executive Member for Public Protection, who said he was particularly worried at possible financial implications for the County Council. “There are still many issues which need to be addressed” he said. “This project could impose further financial burdens on the County Council and the county’s council tax payers”.

The current Fire Control Room for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly is at Brigade Headquarters in Truro and has seventeen control operators.

It is responsible for all 999 calls, the mobilisation of fire officers and emergency planning officers, and commands and control of incidents throughout the county. It also deals with out of hours calls for Highways, Animal Health, Registration and Education.