FEARS have been raised of a decline in service quality in Dorset if a new South West fire control room is run by a private company.

Staff in Dorset's control room were already fearing for their jobs when it emerged their office would be closing to be replaced by one office which would cover the whole of the South West.

And news that the government has rejected all of the bids from local fire authorities to house the new regional hub has caused further unrest.

Some think they are even less likely to keep their jobs if the office is run by a private company keen to keep costs low and maximise profits.

Karen Adams, of the Dorset branch of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "Because of the recent pay deal the control staff are on a fairly reasonable wage because of their skill level. But a private company would have to make the service cheaper and if that means cutting corners or employing unskilled operators to answer the phone then it wouldn't be to the best standard for the public.

"Morale in the control room is at an all-time low anyway because they know that whatever happens, in two years' time they are not going to have a job where they live.

"The prospect of control being taken over by the private sector will cause even more concern because there might not even be an opportunity to stay in their current jobs in another region.

"It's a waiting game with them wondering when they're going to lose their jobs."

The new regional control room would be responsible for allocating fire cover in Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Avon, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall and the government says it would be a more efficient way of running things.

On Friday (October 8) it was announced that the government was requesting tenders from three private companies for the building and possibly even the running of the Fire Service in the South West. The locations of the proposed sites have not yet been revealed.

Alison Scott, who works in Dorset's control room, said: "I feel there's even less of a certainty of us keeping our jobs if things go private."

First published: October 14