LANCASHIRE Fire Brigade's new £1 million Command and Control System has been officially opened.

County council leader Louise Ellman joined chief fire officer Gordon Russel at the brigade headquarters in Fulwood to see the new hi-tec computerised system first hand.

Mrs Ellman said: "The new Command and Control centre will enable Lancashire's Fire Brigade to respond to emergencies more quickly and ensure the people of Lancashire are receiving the best service in the country."

Sited at the junction of the M55/M6 at Fulwood, the Control centre has undergone frequent changes during its 50-year history.

The latest project began in 1992 with an extension to the existing control building to accommodate the new equipment.

In 1994 Marconi won the contract to supply and fit the new system, which became operational in July 1995. The 40 stations across the county were all fitted with up-to-date computerised equipment to accept transmissions from the new control room.

The new system has improved the call handling capability of the brigade and also provides statistical analysis of incidents which can be examined to assess efficiency.

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