LANCASHIRE firefighters are to use a controversial radio system.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue service is the first brigade in the country to adopt Airwave - a state of the art digital radio system which it is hoped will significantly improve communications.
But Lancashire Police, who were the first police force in the country to use the system, have expressed concern over its safety.
The Lancashire Federation, the union for police officers, said it had concerns over members' health and safety with the system's problems. Some officers have been experiencing a high-pitched screech over the radio.
David Brindle, project director for Lancashire Constabulary in charge of implementing the Airwave system, said the technology was there to improve health and safety and was superior to the old system.
He admitted spiking was a problem but engineers had been called in to look how to resolve it.
Dave Thompson, project manager for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, said it had looked at how the police had coped with the system and was buoyed by results.
He said: "Airwave puts us truly in the realm of 21st-century technology."
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