Firelink goes live in Wales

The Firelink system provides two way communications within and between fire fighting teams in Wales, as well as connecting them with counterparts in England and Scotland. The system can also connect with other emergency services, which the Welsh Assembly Government said will allow UK-wide coordination in the event of a national emergency. It said that more than 1,000 terminals have been issued to vehicles, crews and controls rooms across Wales. South Wales' chief fire officer Andy Marles said: "The key benefits of Firelink include more effective and safer service delivery. This new system will enhance the services' ability to respond collectively to major incidents, by allowing fire and rescue appliances supporting major incidents the ability to speak directly to the control room managing the incident, where ever it may be. "The system is also more resilient and secure and offers inter-interoperability with other blue lights services. All these important functions help us as a Fire and Rescue Service to continually protect the communities in which we serve to the highest of standards." The Firelink project, to replace telecommunications for fire services across the UK with a digital network and fit new radio systems to 3,000 fire and rescue vehicles, was originally set to be completed in December 2007.