A key milestone has been reached in a project that will see Staffordshire and West Midlands fire and rescue services operating a shared emergency control service in Birmingham.
The shared service was announced in 2011 and received £3.6 million from an £81 million Government fund set up to help Fire and Rescue Services in England improve their control command systems.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is now using the ‘Vision’ system, which was already running in the West Midlands, to record and monitor incidents and mobilise crews.
The local model is being phased in over two stages and will eventually see Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Fire Service introduce a shared control centre based at the West Midlands headquarters on Vauxhall Road in Birmingham. The current Staffordshire control centre at Pirehill in Stone would close under the plans.
The shared service is being launched to maximise efficiency and increase resilience. The priority is to ensure that communities in both areas continue to receive a first-class fire control service. It will be up and running next year.
Chairman of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority Len Bloomer said: “Developing a shared control centre is a major, sensitive project which is why we have worked closely with our colleagues in the West Midlands to ensure a smooth two-part transition. We will continue to work with our partner to introduce common operational procedures, ways of working and staffing levels. I would like to sincerely thank everybody that has been involved in the project so far, particularly the team leaders, Rebecca Bryant from Staffordshire and Philip Hales from the West Midlands.”
