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The primary purpose of the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) is the prompt and efficient mobilisation of firefighters in response to a fire or other related incident, in order to save lives and protect property.
The aim of the FiReControl project is to enable this critical function to be carried out with greater speed, responsiveness and efficiency: it proposes to replace the existing 46 local FRS control rooms with nine purpose-built Regional Control Centres (RCCs). These centres will handle emergency 999 calls, mobilise resources and support the management of incidents, underpinned by a resilient network technology.
The FiReControl project is part of a key strategic objective of the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), but its current status is precarious. CLG and the main IT contractor, EADS, have had an adversarial relationship. They do not have a revised contract and there is no currently agreed project plan; until recently, there has been a lack of consultation and collaboration between CLG, EADS and those intimately involved in the Fire and Rescue Services (and some criticise the standard of the present consultation). Project management has been severely criticised, with a rapid turnover of crucial CLG and EADS senior staff. Since its inception, the costs of the project have escalated, and severe delays to the project mean that Fire and Rescue Authorities may now be expected to migrate to the new system at the very time that they should be concentrating on the high-profile safety concerns presented by the Olympic Games in 2012. The main representative bodies of the Fire and Rescue Service all have reservations about the project—many go further and have deep hostility—and fear that, as it is presently managed and designed, it will lead to a less efficient and less safe service.
The project has been beset by a lack of openness and collaboration with the main stakeholders from the start. If CLG had been more open from the start, many of the ensuing problems might not have occurred. This lack of openness has continued to the present, with CLG not allowing us to have sight of independent reviews of its management of the project—even in confidence—which implies a certain insecurity about its handling of the FiReControl project to date.
However, if CLG were to abandon the FiReControl project now, not only would all the claimed benefits of the project in terms of greater speed, responsiveness and efficiency be lost, but it would cost an extra £8 million more than if it were left to proceed. CLG is not quite at the point of no return, but it very soon will be. Our Report recommends that CLG should continue with the project, with renewed vigour, but this recommendation is conditional on CLG:
- resolving its contractual dispute with EADS and implementing a viable project plan;
- closely monitoring delivery of FiReControl against interim milestones, and examining alternative viable options for delivery to be implemented in case of any slippage;
- addressing the shortcomings in its management of the project;
- consulting fully with FRS staff and professionals in defining end-user requirements;
- taking further steps to shift the negative perception of the project and to influence fire and rescue authorities to make the positive decision to switch to the new system; and
- providing assurances that the safety and security of the Olympic Games will not be compromised during the roll-out of the new Regional Control Centres.
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