NORTHUMBERLAND Fire and Rescue Service’s Control Room will be relocated from Morpeth as part of a new mobilising system scheme.
The operation is being moved to its headquarters in West Hartford, which opened two years ago.
A £3.6million contract has been awarded to provide a state-of-the-art mobilising system for the Northumberland and Tyne and Wear services following a successful joint bid to the Government.
This means that they will be able to take each other’s calls, increasing resilience and removing the need for secondary control rooms.
The system from technology solutions company telent will utilise the very latest voice and data communications technology to enhance the current call handling and fire engine despatch process.
Chief Fire Officer for Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service Alex Bennett, said: “This funding is welcome news for both Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.
“It is important that we use new technology to build on the emergency services that we provide to ensure we continue to operate safely and efficiently.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Tyne and Wear to ensure that control room officers and firefighters are well prepared for the implementation of the new system.”
Both services’ current systems have been in place for 15 years and are due to be replaced in 2014, although they are working together to get the new one up and running by June 2013.