FASTER emergency response times are expected following the launch of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service's new control room.

The new set-up at the county fire HQ at Waterwells Business Park in Quedgeley includes a state-of-the-art mobilising system designed to reduce the time it takes operators to handle calls and for crews to respond.

Chief fire officer Jon Hall said: "I am delighted that the new mobilising system is now up and running, giving crews an even better chance of reaching emergencies quickly and ensuring residents continue to have a service they can rely upon.

"This is an investment in people's safety and I'm glad to say we are ahead of the curve here.

"I know that the time, energy and money spent on updating the system we use will mean that communities are safer than ever before."

Gloucestershire is only the second fire service in the country to install the equipment, which also uses up to the minute mapping and identification software to pinpoint emergencies.

One advantage of the new system is that it determines which appliances are closest to an incident and recommends it to the operator.

It also automatically presents the operators with a call history and other relevant operational intelligence linked to an address when a call is received.

The new control room, launched on Thursday, is just one way the service has benefited from £1.8 million of funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Money has also been used to replace the mobilising system, which receives the signal from the control room, alerts fire crews and prints callout details, at every fire station in the county.

Will Windsor-Clive, Gloucestershire County Council cabinet member for fire, planning and infrastructure, said: "This is another example of the county using the resources available to it to make sure residents get the services they should expect.

"Saving lives is not something that should be taken lightly and this latest commitment shows exactly how important it is to Gloucestershire."