Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service chief says county is much safer as new £1.6m control room unveiled in Ipswich
The county is now much safer after the fire chief unveiled the service's new £1.6 million control room.
Jon Lacey, the county's chief fire officer, unveiled the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) new state-of-the-art control room in Ipswich.
He said: "While Suffolk is a relatively safe county, we still have emergency calls that we have to attend.
"It's a very exciting opportunity for us, we've gone live, Suffolk is now much safer."
Suffolk County Council approved a £1.6 million investment back in 2023 after it deemed the previous system, which it shared with the Cambridgeshire service, no longer fit for purpose.
Mr Lacey said the development had been more expensive than it would have been otherwise if it had been delivered in partnership with another service, but stressed it had been the right decision.
The whole project has come £250,000 under budget, with any unspent cash due back to the county council for reinvestment.
Cllr Steve Wiles, the council's lead for public protection, said the new control room was an incredible achievement.
He said: "[It's something] that is truly transformational, something that will change how we protect lives, property and communities across our county.
"It's not just a technical upgrade, or a new piece of kit, this is a once-in-a-generation leap forward for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service."
Mr Lacey said the new facilities, fitted with the latest technology from Motorola Solutions, would ensure faster and smarter coordination during emergencies.
The fire chief said: "The people of Suffolk deserve the very best they can when they're calling a 999 into our control centre and are having one of the worst days of their life.
"It gives us control of our control room back in our county."
According to Mr Lacey, the new control room handled its first call just nine minutes from opening, relating to a house fire.
The control room will employ 23 staff, the majority of which are new to Suffolk.
