The Fire Brigades Union has warned that the lessons of the FiReControl project have not been learned and the same mistakes are being repeated on a local level by the current government. The union welcomed the Public Accounts Committee report on the failure of the FiReControl project, but warned that key lessons are still to be learned.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said: “The fire and rescue service is repeating the same mistakes at a local level as CLG did over FiReControl. The FiReControl project failed because ministers failed to listen to the voice of control staff and their professional representatives. We argued that the project was not resilient and there was insufficient scrutiny of costs and contracts.
“Now the present government is leaving it to local fire and rescue services to clear up the mess, making ad hoc arrangements without an overall view of national resilience. There needs to be proper oversight, not the closure and merger of control rooms. For the second time, we urge ministers to consult with professionals in the service and in particular the representatives of the control staff who work in it.”
