Fire IT delays stoke up costs

Delays to the technology for the government’s controversial plans to consolidate Fire Service control centres are adding to local brigade costs and increasing resistance to the scheme.

According to the original plan, the IT contract for the nine regional centres that will replace 46 local offices was due to have been signed in January 2005, and the first centre was meant to go live this month.

But while the full business case for the FiReControl project was finally published last week, the technology contract – expected to be worth about £160m – will not be signed before January 2007, with implementation and rollout spanning the following four years.

The delays to the programme were unavoidable, says Olaf Baars, the Chief Fire Officers’ Association representative on the FiReControl project board.

‘We are two years past the desired timetable, but that timeframe was unrealistic and trying to achieve it would have added risk,’ he said.

But local fire authorities are already paying the price of the delays, and the lack of details in the business case have done nothing to allay concerns, says the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

‘We have always been very sceptical about the numbers because there are questions about what is in scope and what is not,’ said an FBU spokesman.

‘There are residual costs to associations, such as the cost of patching up current systems because they do not want to upgrade just before being replaced. Those costs are now running higher because of all the delays.’

Without the necessary details, the local acceptance so critical for successful centralised technology-enabled programmes is being eroded.

Avon Fire and Rescue cites concerns over the technology in its reasons for refusing to endorse FiReControl.

‘The government does not have a good record with these central IT systems and we have not seen a business case so far that we are prepared to sign up to,’ said Terry Walker, chairman of Avon Fire and Rescue.

‘As far as we can see the technology is unproven and that is why we are reluctant to go further,’ he said.

Supplier BT dropped out of the race for the FiReControl deal last month, leaving only Thales and EADS in the running.

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