Press Release: 22 December 2010: RCC’s (FiReControl) Project Cancelled

Press Release: 22 December 2010 – For immediate release

RCC’s (FiReControl) Project Cancelled

After 8 years, £423m-£1.3bn, £52m on consultants and 5 years behind schedule the ‘FiReControl Project’ (Regionalisation of Emergency Fire Control Centres) was scrapped by the Government on 20 December 2010.

Paul Watts, Control Staff National Committee Rep (FBU Region 12 – Southern Region) said “This vindicates the professional opinion of Firefighters and Firefighters (Control), who have been the lone professional voice of the Fire Service in opposition to this fiasco, which has been a gross and obscene waste of public money. Fundamentally, technology will not save lives; it is the professionalism, skill and local knowledge that ensure public and firefighter safety.”

The last Government, along with many MP’s and local politicians have ignored the warnings and supported this failing and expensive project.

However, the fight continues as the Isle of Wight Council, who have consistently supported the failed FiReControl Project, now wish to pursue the moving of the Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre to Reigate, Surrey.

Andrew Cooper, Fire Control Rep, Isle of Wight FBU, said, “I would like to re-interate and endorse the comments of Peter Holland, President of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (of 20/12/2010) ‘We must pay tribute to the hundreds of control room staff across the country who have had to deal with major uncertainty over the last few years, but who have continued to provide our communities with a very efficient and effective service throughout this time.”

Andrew Cooper added “My colleagues professionalism, knowledge, skill, integrity and tenacity has been very evident over the past eight years, providing the exemplary level of service that Island residents, visitors and businesses deserve.

We look forward to local politicians learning the lessons of history that the FiReControl Project shows and retain the Island’s Fire Control Centre.”

***ENDS***

Contacts:

Andrew Cooper, Chairman, Fire Control Branch, Isle of Wight FBU: 07889 182 762

Matt Sainsbury, Brigade Secretary, Isle of Wight FBU: 01983 525 121 (Fire Control Centre)

Paul Watts, Control Staff National Rep. (Southern Region):  07917 065 889

Ricky Matthews, FBU Regional Secretary (Southern Region): 07917 065 863

http://www.isleofwightfbu.com
http://www.fbur12.org.uk
http://www.fbu.org.uk

Notes to Editors

Fire Minister Bob Neill MP announced on 20 December 2010 in a Ministerial statement to the House of Commons that the FiReControl Project was scrapped (please see the attached Ministerial Statement).

FiReControl Project: £423m-£1.3bn (actual figure not yet released by the Government as deemed ‘commercial in confidence’). The last known stated figures show £423m, with £52m was spent on consultants for the project.

The project was started eight years ago (2004) and was running over five years behind schedule.

As part of the project the isle of Wight Fire Control Centre (in Newport, Isle of Wight) was to be transferred to the proposed South-East Regional Control Centre in Fareham, Hampshire, which was to cover nine counties (Hampshire, Royal Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Isle of Wight, Surrey and West Sussex) and eight milllion people.

Since the May 2010 General Election the botched and wasteful FiReControl project has cost the tax payer £8.7m just for rent on the nine empty regional control centre buildings.

The South East Regional Control Centre building has laid empty for several years at a cost of £1.84m per annum to the taxpayer.

Dividing this figure down further to County level (for the nine counties for the RCC: Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Berkshire) means the cost per annum to the local tax payer is £204,445.

Additional figures that would have to be added to the above annual costs for the Regional Fire Control Centre (based in Fareham) would be £396,825 per annum (£44,091 for the Isle of Wight) for facilities management services (provided by VT Flagship), Firelink (radio contract costs – unknown) and staffing costs (unknown).

Additional costs include the project management at the Department for Communities and Local Government (formerly Office of the Deputy Prime Minister – the then John Prescott), along with the South East Regional Management Board for FiReControl.

The project is five years behind schedule and was massively over budget.

The nine Regional Fire Control Centre buildings lie empty costing £40,000 per day in rent (source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/philipjohnston/7533673/Will-this-waste-of-our-money-never-stop.html).

Scrapped regional fire control centres

East – Essex, Norfolk, Cambridge and Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Luton and Suffolk
East Midlands – Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire
London – London Fire Brigade
North East – Durham and Darlington, Tyne and Wear, Cleveland and Northumberland
North West – Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
South East – Hampshire, Royal Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Isle of Wight, Surrey and West Sussex
South West – Devon and Somerset, Dorset, Avon, Cornwall, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire
West Midlands – Staffordshire, West Midlands, Shropshire, Hereford and Worcester and Warwickshire
Yorkshire and Humberside – West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Humberside and North Yorkshire

In September 2010 Isle of Wight Councillors voted at a Full Council Meeting for an ‘in principle’ decision to move the Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre to Reigate, Surrey (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), with a delegated decision.

A ‘Full Business Case’ is currently being compiled, which it is currently understood is due to go before Cllr Barry Abrahams, who will then make the delegated decision in February 2011.

Save Isle of Wight Fire Control Campaign website: http://www.firewontwait.com

Ministerial Statement and CFOA Press Release – both of 20 December 2010:

Ministerial Statement FiReControl – FINAL 20 December 2010 as PDF

CFOA Press Release 101220 FireControl Scrapped as PDF

Related links:

Fire Brigades Union

Fire Won’t Wait – Save the Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre

Isle of Wight Council

Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

Region 12 (Southern Region) Fire Brigades Union

Cassidian

EADS

Regional Fire Control Centre (FiReControl) Project has today been scrapped by the Government.

Stop squandering taxpayers’ money, honour pre-election pledge and scrap FiReControl now – FBU challenges Tories to stop dithering

Tory ministers in the Coalition government were today challenged to call time on the flawed and costly plan to regionalise fire control in England.

Since the last General Election the botched and wasteful FiReControl project has cost the tax payer £6.5M just for rent on empty buildings.

In the run-up to the election, both the Tories – holding their party conference in Birmingham this week – and the Lib-Dems pledged to scrap FiReControl, the project which aims to replace 46 local fire control centres with nine big new centres covering the whole country.

The ill-fated FiReControl Project has been plagued by IT delays, contractual problems and missed deadlines. No computers have been installed, and the project is already £300M over budget. It was branded “a complete disaster area” by Clive Betts, chair of the Communities Select Committee a few months ago. The main contractor EADS came under fire at the committee.

The focus is now on Tory and Liberal Democrat MPs who opposed the project before the election. The FBU challenges them to deliver on their promises to scrap FiReControl now they are in power.

Eric Pickles, Minister for Communities and Local Government, told the Communities committee that a system designed to navigate appliances to fires or floods could not do so over huge swathes of the country.

Clearly exasperated, he criticised EADS, FiReControl’s main contractor, for failing to meet deadlines, or even co-operate with a departmental team drafted in to help sort on-going problems. He promised a decision would be taken soon on FiReControl’s future – yet costs continue to mount. * SEE ATTACHMENT OBTAINED UNDER FOI

The FBU has consistently criticised FiReControl, calling for more investment in existing centres. A project relying on untested technology to replace control staff’s knowledge, experience and intelligence risks compromising public safety. Continued support for the project flies in the face of the “Localism” and “Value for Money” philosophy that the Coalition claims underpin its policies.

Sharon Riley, FBU Executive Council Member representing control staff, called for a swift decision to ditch FiReControl, which was sapping both resources and morale in the service. “We know that in the current economic climate every penny counts. Everyone’s having to do their bit, tighten their belts and make savings to pay for a situation which was not of our making.

“The Government should scrap this project now, saving the tax payer millions, and invest in existing fire controls across England. “

Missed deadlines and huge overspend apart, the thinking behind FiReControl is deeply flawed. The public should be aware of what the FiReControl Project would mean for them, says Sharon Riley. “Instead of relying on experienced local fire fighter control staff, calls could be answered hundreds of miles away. The South West Regional Control Centre is in Taunton, for instance – so if you live in Truro and phone 999, you will be put through to Somerset. However, the Project relies on a network of 9 RCCs. If your regional control centre is busy your call will be put through to any available operator on the network at any of the other RCCs anywhere in the country. So in Truro, your call could be answered in Newcastle”

Contacts:-

Sharon Riley 07889 088423

Helen Hague 07889 792360

***ENDS***

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