FireLink

FireLink or Firelink is new a new wide area radio system being introduced in England, Wales and Scotland for the fire service. It is expected to become fully operational in 2009 and is being designed to be compatible with the new emergency control rooms being built for the FiReControl project. The key feature of Firelink is its resilience and interoperability across the FRS and with other emergency services, it is being developed and built by O2 Airwave, it will be part of the airwave private digital network. It is a private, digital, secure, TETRA or terrestrial trunk radio network, and will replace the many different existing networks commissioned by individual fire and rescue services.

The project is part of CLG's fire resilience programme, which also includes the New Dimension programme and FiReControl projects. The New Dimension project has already delivered a range of equipment to the FRS to assist with handling large scale incidents. The vehicles supplied as part of the New Dimension provision will be fitted with the new FireLink digital radios. Once the Firelink project has laid the foundations of a single wide area communications system in England, Wales and Scotland, the FiReControl project will be able to set up the RCC connections to complete the fire resilience programme.