SOMERSET firefighters were given a boost this week, with the news that a proposed regional control centre regulating 999 calls for the whole of the South West will be built here in the county.
Crews had long railed against the proposals to centralise 999 operations, as they feared the lack of local knowledge from telephone operators could hinder call-outs and put lives at risk.
They feared the new centre could be allocated to a wayward corner of the region - Gloucestershire, for example, or Cornwall - but the news they feared has failed to materialise. It was announced on Wednesday that the home of the new centre will be Taunton.
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