FIRE chiefs have rejected claims that the safety of the residents of Cheshire has been compromised by a control room merger with Cumbria.

Since June all 999 calls for Cumbria Fire Service have been handled at Cheshire Fire and Rescue’s Winsford headquarters, leading to allegations about mobilisation problems in Cumbria.

Cheshire’s assistant chief fire officer Richard Ost dismissed union claims the mix-ups ‘would not be acceptable to a takeaway delivery service’.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) alleges in one case Cheshire control was unable to turn out fire engines to a house fire in Carlisle, causing an eight-10 minute delay.

Crews have cited a lack of local knowledge by the Winsford operators, resulting in appliances being sent to wrong locations.

It is also alleged there have been occasions where members of the public have had difficulty raising the emergency service.

ButMr Ost said: “We are disappointed the Fire Brigades Union continues to make unfounded accusations about the performance of our control staff.

“We would continue to reject any claims that the safety of either the residents of Cheshire or Cumbria have been compromised since we began taking on additional 999 calls.

“Accusations that crews or residents have not been able to contact control in an emergency are untrue and once again we must stress that local knowledge is not something we expect our control staff to rely on as this could put the public at risk.”

Ade Kevern, FBU secretary for Cumbria, said: “Some of these problems would not be acceptable to a takeaway delivery service.

“We take no issue with our overworked colleagues in the emergency fire control in Cheshire who are doing the best they can.”

The FBU believes issues affecting Cumbria would be compounded when the fire services of Cheshire, GMC, Lancashire, and Cumbria are further amalgamated at a new 999 HQ centre in Warrington.