ALL three Wiltshire emergency services are set to merge in one call centre the first of its kind in the country.

Ambulance, police, and fire services are set to have their call centres brought together on one site in Devizes.

At the moment preparations are being carried out to demolish Llewellyn House on the grounds of the Wiltshire Police Headquarters.

The site, which was until recently part of the regional driving school, will become the new Wiltshire Emergency Services Joint Communications Centre.

The new centre will re-use some of the building materials from the demolition for the car parking facilities.

The state-of-the-art facility will use the latest building materials and technology and it is hoped to have the building work finished by March 2002.

At the moment the contract for the work is out to tender and construction is due to start in March next year.

The centre will be the first facility where the three services will share an integrated command and control computer system.

The ambulance service headquarters, which is currently in Chippenham will be moving to the Devizes site in 2002.

The fire brigade headquarters, which is currently based in Potterne, will be joining the ambulance and the police on the site in 2004.

The three chief officers from each branch of the emergency services made a presentation of the new centre yesterday to the National Emergency Services Conference in London.

The audience included Home Secretary Jack Straw.