More fears raised over fire service IT project

FireControl is late arriving

Further fears have been raised over the future of the government’s £380m programme to provide a new network of control centres for the fire service, according to reports over the weekend.

Computing revealed in October last year that the FireControl system had run into problems and the first three sites due to go live in October 2009 would miss the deadline. In December 2008, the government told Computing the new target would be summer 2010.

A report in The Observer has reiterated that timescale, but also revealed fears that the system will not be fully implemented in time for the London Olympic Games in 2012.

"The project is in meltdown and may not be properly tested and in place for the 2012 Olympics even if they can make it work," Fire Brigades Union assistant general secretary, Andy Dark told The Observer.

The East Midlands, South West, and North East regional FireControl centres have already been constructed, but central IT problems are holding up the project.

The FireControl project will consolidate 42 local control rooms into nine regional centres, with a goal of greater resilience and the ability to transfer load between sites at busy times. It was originally intended that the project would save local authorities £14m a year, but it has emerged that many authorities will not see these cost savings.