MANY of us share the concerns of the Fire Brigades Union about the Government’s plans for new regional fire control rooms.

The aim is to replace 46 centres with nine regional operations, including one in Warrington that will serve the whole of the North-west when it is introduced in spring, 2012.

It would mean the closure of the Greater Manchester Fire Service’s existing nerve centre in Swinton.

The Government, seemingly not fussed by the fact that the project is months behind schedule and millions of pounds over budget, believes the change is necessary because many existing control rooms cannot cope with modern demands.

That seems to be a good point, but the FBU argues that Swinton is up-to-date and that it is a highly professional operation staffed by experienced people with good local knowledge.

I can see that a Scouser working in Warrington would not necessarily be able to locate a fire scene from a panicking caller “up Dobble”. Unfortunately, this kind of centralisation is the way of the world these days and I seem to think similar criticisms were made when Bolton calls (the town had its own fire brigade not that long ago) were first transferred to Swinton. The FBU wants the Government to think again about its plans, but that does not seem likely now that it is committed to a £380 million investment.

I just hope that somebody listens to the union’s important point about the need for local knowledge.And that nobody thinks the next step is a transfer to India or the Philippines.