LIVES will not be put at risk following the merger of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire’s fire control rooms.
LIVES will not be put at risk following the merger of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire’s fire control rooms.
Fire service bosses were at pains to assure residents of both counties that the merger, completed last night, would provide a better service – despite a reduction in the number of operators taking emergency calls.
The Fire Brigades Union was also concerned about the loss of local knowledge in Suffolk, with just six staff from a team 24 making the move to the new control room in Huntingdon. The remaining 18 choose to take voluntary redundancy, rather than transfer from Ipswich.
Prior to the merger, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service employed 26 people in the control room at its Hinchingbrooke-based headquarters. The new Cambridgeshire and Suffolk Combine Fire Control employs 35 staff, split across four operational watches and a day watch.
Neil Newberry, assistant chief fire officer for Cambridgeshire, said: “Communities shouldn’t notice any difference when they dial 999.
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