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  3. Lee shares what it's like to work in the control room
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Staff story
01 Mar 2021

Lee shares what it's like to work in the control room

Lee Blackburn, our head of control.

Lee is our Control Room Manager. He shares his experience of working for the Service and what it's like in the control room. 

"I’ve been working in the Service for 23 years, mainly in Operations. So when the opportunity came up to work in Fire Control, I saw it as a great new challenge, because it’s important to keep learning new skills and push yourself out of your comfort zone. And it is just that - because the work is challenging but really rewarding!

Here in Fire Control, we’re all trained in every role, which is different to most emergency control rooms. We deal with it all, from taking that first call through to mobilising and continuing to support the crew on the ground throughout the incident.

As a Control Tactical Advisor, I’ve learned to appreciate the work that goes on behind the scenes. The admin and support roles make sure that however big or small the incident, it comes to a safe conclusion. I also have a wider appreciation of how we fit in with our partner agencies, especially in larger or more complex emergencies. Multi-agency work brings its own challenges, as everyone works slightly differently, but it’s great to learn how to bring these differences together."

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