Control staff

Avon Fire & Rescue Service's Fire Control room is based at Lansdown and handles all of the 999 emergency calls for the area.

Fire Control staff have a vital role and are trained to deal with any 999 call that they might receive, from a house fire to a serious road traffic collision or cliff rescue. 

From their knowledge of the Avon area, Control staff help callers identify their exact location, provide fire safety advice to people who might be trapped inside a burning building and continue to reassure callers until the moment firefighters arrive on the scene. They are also trained in dealing with other incidents, including chemical, radiological, biological and nuclear incidents.

When Fire Control staff receive a call they assess the situation the caller is in and then mobilise fire appliances to the incident. Fire Control staff are then responsible for the needs of the firefighters by dispatching further resources as required, arranging relief crews, liaising with other agencies and providing important operational information for the duration of each incident.

Fire Control is staffed 24 hours a day. There are 30 Fire Control staff working a four watch shift system that comprises two nine-hour days and two 15-hour nights over an eight day cycle. 

Each watch consists of two Fire Control Watch Managers, two Fire Control Crew Managers and three to four Fire Control Operators.

Fire Control is managed by Group Manager Andy Willcocks.