Control room

Where staff respond to emergency calls, messages and other communications from the public to the police or fire and rescue services.

Control room staff are trained to provide an appropriate response, which may include dispatching emergency vehicles. They can also share relevant information with emergency responders at the scene and give ongoing support to help the public and/or the emergency services to manage an incident.

In fire and rescue services, this may be called ‘fire control‘. In police forces, this may be called a ‘force control room’. Staff in the force control room check if anyone involved in the incident is vulnerable and carry out an initial risk assessment to inform their response.