Shropshire and Worcestershire fire control to be shared
- Published
Fire authorities in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire are to share control room operations.
The proposal was approved at a meeting of Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the authority said the decision was taken after the government terminated the national Fire Control project last year.
The project would have seen nine regional fire control centres replace the current network of 46 centres.
Remote locations
The spokesman said the termination had left the authority with an "urgent requirement" for a replacement fire control system.
On Monday, Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority announced it had approved a recommendation to draft a formal memorandum of understanding between the two fire authorities.
Councillor Brig Peter Jones, chairman of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority, said members approved financial support for the "urgent procurement" of a replacement system at the meeting.
He said the shared "control room infrastructure" would operate from two remote locations in Worcestershire and Shropshire.
But the authority said the financial implications of the project could not be revealed until the completion of the procurement process.