Firefighters warned "lives of the public and lives of firefighters" are at risk due to a revised operating model in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's control room.
Callers are often "terrified and screaming" when they dial 999 to report a fire, according to one fire control officer, but the team often has other tasks to complete on shift. Some are assigned to the phones while others handle radio messages, coordinating with fire teams, other emergency services, and even housing associations.
The team has also acted as fire control for "specialist capabilities" like evacuating casualties and firefighting during marauding terrorist attacks (MTA), flood response, and mass decontamination across the country since 2016, when Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) became the lead authority for National Resilience on behalf of the Home Office.
