PROPOSALS to move Wiltshire's fire control room to Somerset could provoke strike action.

Firefighters are opposing the measure, which would mean emergency calls in Swindon would be directed to a new centre in Taunton.

And they are holding an open forum in Swindon tomorrow to raise public awareness of the issues.

Joe Tray, secretary of the Fire Brigade Union in Wiltshire, said: "This could well be a strike issue but at the moment we are submitting statements to a select committee of MPs.

"We're going to do everything to prevent this move. It's ill-thought out and will cost the ratepayers of Wiltshire a lot of money.

"This move is driven heavily by technology but the Government's track record on technology, in areas such as passports, has been one of failure.

"We can't afford to fail. If we fail, people die."

He said that the closure of individual control centres would mean the removal from Wiltshire of the accumulated expertise of the staff.

His views were echoed by Paul Lawler, the Wiltshire Fire Brigade Union chairman, He said: "We're not happy about this at all. We're concerned about potential job losses but more importantly about the safety of the public.

"Staff at the separate control rooms know their own county and they know where the hazards are. So somebody in Wiltshire sending out a Wiltshire appliance has the background knowledge of high-risk premises.

"For example some buildings may be high-occupancy or have dangerous chemicals.

"The Government says it is going to cost £1bn nationally and if they are saying that now it will probably cost more.

"At the moment we have 150 operators in the South West region and they are looking at taking it down to 50. It could mean there will be a queue for fire calls."

Mr Lawler believes that the centralised control room could slow down attendance times.

He said: "Also there is the question of cost. Reports say it will cost £98m and that figure is going up. Nobody will be honest about how much it is going to cost."

He is also concerned about the welfare of firefighters.

"Professionally trained control staff pass information on to ourselves so that we know what we can expect when we arrive at a fire.

"With the central control there would be more chance of communication breakdowns, which could lead to compromising our safety and the safety of the public.

"We do a dangerous job and we need every safety precaution in place to help us look after ourselves and the public."

The forum is being held at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet centre tomorrow between 11am and 1pm.