Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time was for answering an emergency call to the fire services (a) nationally and (b) by regional fire service emergency call centres on a (i) Friday night and (ii) Saturday night in each of the last 5 years.

The Department collects and publishes data on the number of control centre staff by FRS. In 2021, the total number of staff employed in call centres was 1169. Further detail is available on the website.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1026813/fire-statistics-data-tables-fire1101-211021.xlsx

The Department does not collect data relating to average waiting times for calls to the fire and rescue services. However, the Department does collect and publish call handling times, or ‘response times’. This is available at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1032104/fire-statistics-data-tables-fire1001-111121.xlsx

The fire and rescue services do not have regional control centres. There are, 32 control rooms in England. However, some FRSs share control rooms; others have their own.