AFTER months of uncertainty, the location of the new fire control centre for the South East was announced on Tuesday by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) - it is to be located in Fareham, Hampshire.
The new regional fire control centre will serve the fire and rescue services in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Buckinghamshire.
Operating from Kite's Croft Business Park in Fareham, the centre will cover an area of 7,336 square miles and serve over eight million people.
The chief officer of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, John Bonney, said that he welcomed the announcement of the location of the new control centre.
"Clearly, I am pleased that the regional control centre is to be in Hampshire as it will bring jobs and new investment to the area.
"I am also pleased for staff as the announcement removes an element of uncertainty and will allow them to make decisions about their futures."
The chairman of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Michael Cartwright, added: "We understand and appreciate that replacing the nine existing fire control rooms in the South East region with a single centre has been unpopular with some staff and representative trade unions, but the government has made it very clear that this project will happen.
"The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that the project is delivered in such a way that it maintains and improves, where possible, the high standard of work the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service delivers every day to make Hampshire a safer place."