A DISPUTE over the new Wiltshire joint emergency service control room still rumbles on despite preparations for its May opening.
Although police and ambulance operators are pleased with the new £7m HQ in Devizes, the Wiltshire branch of the Fire Brigades' Union is balloting members for an all-out strike.
They fear that having the three services in the same building is the thin end of the wedge to "multi-skilling", and jobs could be lost if operators handle calls for all three services.
Local union representatives have been in discussion with senior fire officers for more than three years but the two sides are no closer to a compromise. The FBU has sworn that no fire control staff will pass through the doors of the building when it launches in May.
It has proved a source of frustration to deputy chief fire officer Phil Appleby who is enormously proud of the new centre.
He said: "We have answered each and every point they have made but they still insist we are not listening to them."
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