999 centre axe ‘will put lives at risk’

Aug 23 2007 by Rob Merrick, Liverpool Daily Post

PLANS to axe Merseyside’s fire control centre and answer 999 calls in distant Warrington will put lives at risk, Sir Menzies Campbell warned yesterday.

The Liberal Democrat leader attacked the proposal to close 46 fire and rescue centres across England in favour of nine regional command centres.

The shake-up will close the Bootle centre which the Government believes can no longer cope with modern emergencies on the scale of the London terror bombings.

A control room at Warrington, to be built on Lingley Mere business park, in Great Sankey, will allow firefighters to respond more quickly to incidents, it is claimed.

Some of the 58 staff at Bootle, and the 27 at the Cheshire control room at Winsford, will lose their jobs, as staff numbers across the North West fall from 212 to around 110.

Now Sir Menzies has warned that staff attempting to respond to emergencies across an entire region will lack the “crucial local knowledge” they need.

Speaking in Gloucester, he said: “The Government could be putting lives at risk by introducing regional fire and rescue control centres.”

“Criticism of this move has come from all sides, including the Fire Brigades Union and parliamentary select committee reports but the Government is not listening.”