Cumbria is set to join forces with other fire and rescue services in the north west by transferring its control room function to a single centre in Warrington.

The collaboration has been identified as the best route to secure a resilient and long-term solution for the county’s fire call-handling and mobilising function.

Following the collapse of the Government’s FiReControl Project at the end of 2010, fire and rescue services in the north west have been looking at how they could work together to get maximum benefit from the funds Government is making available for future changes to control and the replacement of control systems.

The collaboration will transfer fire 999 call handing and fire engine mobilisation, currently carried out by individual Services to a local authority controlled company, NW Fire Control Ltd, based at a single centre in Warrington. Cumbria County Council members would be directors of this company. New arrangements would begin in 2014.