Ref. 11855A family of four was rescued from a smoke-filled house in Malmesbury thanks to the calm professionalism of Wiltshire fire brigade's controller Anne Croft.

Mum Lucia Tripepi, 42, who was trapped in the house with her 13-year-old son Adam, her niece Emma, 10, nephew Adriana, 13, and her two dogs, was in constant communication with the controller on her mobile phone as they fled from a fire in the first floor kitchen of their house at Baskerville.

They were blinded by thick smoke from clothes and an electric heater as fire crews rushed to the terraced house on New Year's morning.

Controllers advised the family to seek safety in a second floor bedroom, as far from the fire as possible, to await rescue.

It was thanks to the information given to controllers by the family that firefighters managed to locate and carry the family down their ladders without injury.

Sub-officer for Malmesbury fire station Wayne Jones said his crew were in constant contact with controllers as they sped to the scene, getting vital information about where the trapped family was located and the extent of the fire.

This information made it possible to make fast, well-informed decisions when they arrived on the scene. He said the family were calm and knew what to expect when they were rescued.

He said: "Fire control did a brilliant job and made our life a lot easier when we got there, so they were not panicking about what was going on."

It takes training, team-work and calm thinking on the part of controllers to make the operation run smoothly and save lives.

A team of four controllers is on call 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year to respond to all sorts of emergencies.

It takes a year of regular training before controllers can consider themselves fully fledged.

Even then, when a call comes into the control room it takes teamwork to help people in life-threatening situations who are often panicked and afraid.

The first objective for the controllers, said brigade spokesman Andy Hargreaves, was to get information from the caller.

The location of the house, its occupants and extent of the fire were important questions that would help fire crews in their first objective of saving lives when they are on the scene.

This information is taken by one controller but the chief controller will also be there to prompt with more questions.

If the occupants say they are in

a bedroom, which floor are they on? Is it in the front or the back of the house?

A third controller will be on hand to radio this information to the firefighters going to the scene to give them as much detail as possible before they arrive.

One of the most important aims of the controller is to keep the caller talking. Mr Hargreaves said there was a case last year where an occupant was describing his rescue to controllers as he was carried down a ladder to safety.

This helps calm callers but also allows controllers to constantly give help and advice.

If the occupants cannot escape they will advise everybody, as a group, to get as far away from the fire as possible.

The best location is a room where there is a window that can be opened to allow fresh air in.

Doors should be closed and gaps blocked with pillows and sheets, anything to stop the spread of smoke and the occupants should await rescue.

Mr Hargreaves said the training, teamwork and dedication of staff gave Wiltshire an excellent service.

He said: "We have a superb standard of controllers. Wiltshire should be proud of the quality of our staff."

Ms Tripepi said: "Our neighbours and friends have been really helpful. They invited us in for a cup of tea as soon as we came down the ladder. Our neighbours living opposite us invited in for lunch. Everybody has been wonderful."

She said life was getting back to normal but despite the cold weather she could not use her storage heaters until they were inspected.

"They were part of the cause of the fire and I am scared of putting the radiators on," she added.