Staffs and West Mids shared fire control service set for launch

Emergency calls to West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service will be handled by a new shared fire control service from Monday, March 31.

The two organisations are merging their fire control rooms into one shared service which will operate from Vauxhall Road in Birmingham. From there, control staff will handle emergency calls and manage the resources sent to deal with incidents.

Alongside fire control, the new shared hub will house the Home Safety Centre, which will take on responsibility for receiving and managing calls about general home fire safety and take bookings for home safety checks from the communities of Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

The move to the new shared control service will not affect members of the public, who should continue to ring 999 should an emergency occur.

Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority Chairman Councillor Len Bloomer said: “The shared fire control project has been delivered on time, under budget and marks the culmination of over two years of close collaboration between both fire authorities, West Midlands Fire Service and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

“The new shared fire control service will bring real improvements not just for the two organisations but most importantly in terms of service to our respective local communities.”

Councillor John Edwards, Chair of West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “This first class collaboration between two of the country's leading fire services will provide a new level of service for all local residents in the way we respond to emergencies and in our prevention-based activities.”