County fire control rooms could merge

The possibility of merging Warwickshire Fire and Rescue’s control room with Northamptonshire is currently being explored by the two services. One of the options being looked at could see the two current control rooms - one in Dale Street, Leamington, and the other in Northampton, which have 38 employees in total - both close and be replaced by a joint office half-way between the two.

Steve Roberts, chairman of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), said: “We are against this option. It would lead to job losses, loss of local knowledge and a danger to firefighters and the public.”

The control room in Leamington is on the same site as the fire station, which is currently the subject of interest from Waitrose. The supermarket firm has approached Warwickshire County Council with a view to buying the site and building a town centre store.

The county council would then build a new fire station in a more accessible location.

A second option also being explored is one which would see the two control rooms linked through a communication line to provide support during major incidents and back-up if one of them failed.

The plans are all part of a strategic alliance, approved by both services last month, in order to share resources and save money.

Mr Roberts said: “We are very keen for Warwickshire to keep its own identity.

“We’ve not had enough information about the strategic alliance yet to say whether we are totally against it.

“We would go along with sharing fire safety facilities as long as there are no job losses.”

Jim Onions, assistant chief fire officer for Warwickshire, said it was too early to speculate how many, if any, jobs could be lost due to the proposed changes.

He added: “This is about resilience and effectiveness. The control room is a vital part of our operation as it’s the first port of call for people in distress but we have got significant budget restrictions.

“We will be working with control room staff to ensure a solution which best meets the needs of the local community and our staff.”

A decision is due to be made next year.