THE Government has pumped an extra £1m into fire and rescue authorities in the North West to help them create a regional control centre.

And Cheshire's share of the cash, to be paid over the next two years, will amount to £158,918.

At present the fire and rescue authorities run 46 separate control rooms relying on differing technologies and operational procedures.

These are stand-alone facilities and cannot readily step in at times of high demand or failure.

The gap between the most advanced control centres and the rest is stark.

The latest cash allocation from the Government means a total of £17.5m has now been allocated for a programme to provide nine new networked control rooms across England.

The one which will serve South Cheshire is already being built on Lingley Mere Business Park, Great Sankey, Warrington.

In making the announcement, Fire Minister Angela Smith said: 'Despite the excellent work of control staff, existing fire control rooms are not purpose-built to respond to large scale natural disasters, industrial accidents and terrorist attacks.

'That is why regional control centres are at the heart of the Government's drive to create a resilient network and enable the fire and rescue service to respond to incidents more effectively and save more lives.

'The network of centres will deliver faster response times and better information about the nature of incidents and how to deal with them, helping to save more lives.

'This funding will help the local fire and rescue services deliver their part of this project.'

Satellite positioning equipment will tell the control centre computers which fire appliances are closest to the incident in terms of travel time and with the correct equipment on board.

Vehicles will be mobilised using data-transmission.

Firefighters mobilised to an incident will have data terminals in their vehicles. Information transmitted will include:

* A satellite navigation-based map showing the quickest route to the incident, taking into account the latest information on traffic conditions, and road closures.

* Details of known risks and hazards in the building and/or the locality.

* Floor plans and access details.

* The location of the nearest hydrants and water supplies.

* Relevant standard operating procedures for the type of incident, such as how to dismantle particular types of car.