CONCERNS have been raised over plans for a major North West fire control room for nearly a decade.

The scheme, which will see all emergency fire calls fielded at a new HQ in Warrington, should have opened years ago and was first planned in 2004.

In fact the scheme was scrapped two years ago before coming back to the table this year.

The firefighters themselves have major concerns.

Fire Brigade Union leaders claim staffing at the unified HQ in Warrington, due to go live in early 2014, is inadequate and hampered by an ‘unreasonable shift system’.

They say that only 37 operators, overseen by nine team leaders and five operations managers, will work in the new control room.

They are concerned that they will not cope during busy periods, which will then affect the fire crews.

Economies and cut-backs are being made in every walk of life.

But the firefighters have genuine concerns, at a time when new staffing arrangements at fire stations across the county have seen a reduction in crew numbers.

After all of this time there can be little excuse for not getting the regional HQ plans right.