Whilst the main focus of a Fire Control Operator's work is the period between the time an emergency call is received and when the fire appliances are dispatched to the incident, the Operator must maintain a constant awareness of the overall mobilising requirements of the FRS area and at all times must ensure that the FRS's operational resources are properly deployed to permit an adequate response to the next emergency call to be received.

To ensure that the right appliances are sent to the right places with the best possible information as to the conditions that firefighters can expect to meet, all in the quickest time, requires a total knowledge of a variety of procedures, a clear head and considerable patience in dealing with members of the public who are usually in an excitable state, often speaking in a 'local dialect' and using colloquial expressions and place names. Once the initial attendance of appliances has been sent, the Operator must maintain permanent contact with them and be ready to meet instantly any requests for further assistance or information emanating from the fireground. At the same time, the Operator is required to advise officers, police and when necessary, ambulance, water authorities and other agencies who may be required to be present at the incident.

There are many routine tasks which need to be carried out, e.g updating databases and index systems, completing reports, monitoring the disposition of appliances - all of which are essential to the basic need for the Fire Service adequately to meet the required standards of fire cover by dealing efficiently with emergencies when they arise and endeavouring to prevent them from escalating. With the rapid pace of technological advances, Control Operators need the ability to adapt to new equipment and procedures.

THE FIRE CONTROL OPERATOR
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• The Fire Control Operator

• Description of Duties

• Job Profile

• Working Environment

• Shift System

The primary qualities of the Fire Control Operator are alertness, common sense, clear diction, a good memory, a cool head and an ability to work under pressure. The Fire Control Operator can be faced with two or more emergency incidents simultaneously and, if appliances are to be mobilised efficiently, the primary qualities above must be applied effectively to complement the Fire Control Operator's skills learned as part of the job.

Receipt and Transmission of Calls
From the moment a call for Fire Service aid is received speed is of the essence. Delay can result in loss of life and extensive damage to property. The Fire Control Operator's job is the essential first step in getting appliances, officers and other supporting services to the incident.

The Control Operator will receive emergency calls from the public and other agencies via the emergency telephone system. As speedily as possible, the operator must identify the location of the incident and its nature, e.g. fire, chemical spillage, major disaster, pipeline incident, road and motorway incident, etc. The caller is often in an excitable state and gaining the required information in such circumstances needs a calm and confident approach, particularly when tracing calls which are terminated before details of address and nature of emergency are given.

All information and action on the incident is recorded by the Control Operator on computerised incident logs together with subsequent messages. Fire calls may be received via radio, automatic fire alarms, persons coming to Control and even by letter, each requiring knowledge of a different procedure. As the call is received the appropriate attendance data is consulted which informs the operator of the appliances and officers to be sent to the incident. The operator must be aware of all calls which initiate a predetermined procedure and ensure, thereafter, that it is followed. The appropriate appliances and officers are then mobilised by either a remote control system or by paging. In the event of a major incident, other appliances and equipment will be mobilised to attend or standby at depleted stations to ensure that an even distribution of resources across the FRS is maintained.

The status of all appliances and officers is recorded on the computerised Command Control System, as well as displayed on an electronic wall display.

Until the incident is resolved, i.e. the appliances are either back at their station(s) or re-routed to another incident, the Control Operator acting as radio operator, will receive and transmit messages as appropriate, recording, passing information and updating as necessary. At large and extended incidents, fuel supplies, specialist equipment, e.g. breathing apparatus, foam compound, etc. engineering support, refreshments, medical aid and reliefs have all to be arranged and summoned by control staff.

Routine Duties
The Fire Control Operator will test automatic fire alarms, private wires and other communication equipment daily, and must identify faults and inform the appropriate agency. Tests on fire station callout are also carried out from Control. Various administrative procedures relative to the Control and mobilising functions such as updating Control records, changes of availability, statistics and press enquiries. The FRS's switchboard is located in the Control Room and is operated by Fire Control Operators days and night. This requires a wide knowledge of FRS staff and their functions.

Working Conditions
The Fire Control Operator is employed on a shift system which covers all hours in the year. This has the effect of precluding the operator for regular (same day each week) activities and naturally affects the scope for a normal family life. Meal breaks at work cannot be guaranteed. This is a no-smoking environment. There will be no opportunity for smoking breaks during working hours.