Shropshire fire control could switch towns as part of £12m plan

£12 million proposals to transform Telford Central Fire Station are in the pipeline and could see it also provide training services for West Mercia Police.

But discussing the plans, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service revealed the station could also become the home of the control centre, which handles emergency calls to the fire service.

Currently, the workers are based out of the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service headquarters at Shrewsbury Fire Station, which itself underwent a total renovation in a multi-million pound project about five years ago.

Control centre workers could now be based in a new office along with Telford's operations department, working together to better prepare for call-outs.

Deputy chief fire officer, Andy Johnson, said it would help them to better understand what happens on the scene after a call out is made and allow for better planning on how operations work.

The facility in Telford could then also become home to a silver tactical facility, which responds to major incidents in the county and would create a base for multiple agencies to work together on any major crisis in Shropshire.

Gold level emergencies, which report to the Government's Cobra emergency council, are based out of West Mercia Police's head office in Hindlip, but the new facility would allow chief officers to stay in remote contact with the base, while maintaining a presence in the county while an emergency is underway.

Mr Johnson has said that the plans to transform Telford Central, a 1970s building which has become tired and outdated, will benefit firefighters across the county, as it is the home of all the service's training, and the work will see improved training facilities and better IT.

There are ongoing discussions about the future of the governance of the fire service, Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion is submitting a full business case to the government around taking on the governance of local fire services, a move which Mr Campion has said will save £4million.

The initial business case commissioned by Mr Campion suggests moving Shropshire Fire & Rescue’s control room to a new facility being built in Hindlip as one way of saving money.

But Mr Johnson said he is sure that the governance plans will have no effect on the project.

He said: "Both the PCC and the Fire Authority can see the benefit of collaboration down the line."

And though the figure of £12 million seems high, it represents a major project of work. The Fire Authority has £7.5million saved towards the project and still two years to save towards it, depending on any urgent need for funds.

It also is yet to see how West Mercia Police will contribute to the scheme, whether it contributes to the capital investment or pays a rent for use of the training facilities on site."

Mr Johnson said: "We haven't borrowed since 2009, we may need to borrow some money for this project but we are on track to keep it at the lowest impact as possible."

The plans are still in an early stage and a meeting on Monday will decide more about how operations are made about providing services from the station while the work takes place, expected to be in 2019 to 2020.

The fire service is also in the process of finding companies who can work on a design for the proposals to meet all the needs of the station and make the most of the space available.

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