Within the Emergency Services Communications Centre, each Service has its own dedicated staffs, both for call taking and despatch of their own resources, thus retaining the professionalism and experience of each Service, while sharing common facilities, infrastructure and some tasks, such as mapping updates.

999 calls are received by the telephone operating companies, such as BT, who ask the caller which Service is required. When the location of the incident is entered into our command & control system, it is matched against a common mapping database. When both the type and location of the incident are recorded, this information can then be shared immediately with the other Emergency Services, if appropriate.

As the location has already been validated, this avoids errors that sometimes could occur in verbally passing on this information between control rooms. The other Services can also be assessing availability of their own resources, and even tasking them, if they feel they have sufficient information.

Once the first Service has taken all the necessary information they need from the caller and given any advice required, the call can then be passed to the next Service and finally to the last Service if all three are requested. As more information is gained from the caller, the overall picture can be built up and this can be passed among the other Services where appropriate, building up a more detailed picture of the incident. Further information is sent in by radio once crews have reached the scene, which can also be shared to ensure the most efficient and effective response.

The facility also houses a major incident room that allows the three services to operate together during a large multi-service incident. This close working can only strengthen the relationships between the organisations, resulting in a better overall service for the people of Wiltshire.

To view the organisational structure of FRS Control, click here

If you are interested in becoming a Fire Control Operator, click here

If you want more information on the Emergency Services Communication Centre, click here