EMERGENCY calls to the fire brigade could be answered in Berkshire or Buckingham-shire under proposals to create a Thames Valley control centre.

Oxfordshire’s deputy chief fire officer Colin Thomas wants the county council to explore a merger of Oxfordshire’s control room with those of Bucks Fire and Rescue Service and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Calls are currently ans-wered by 26 people, split across four watches, at the Kidlington control room.

Mr Thomas will recommend the plan to the council’s cabinet next week and said doing nothing and outsourcing had been ruled out.

But the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) yesterday vowed to fight to keep a control centre in the county, saying people with local knowledge should handle calls.

The plan comes after Ministers axed a seven-year-long project, to create a single south east England control centre.

Mr Thomas said a merger would introduce upgraded technology and capacity to cope with major floods, riots, or terror attacks, and would also help in work with Thames Valley Police.

If the council back further work on the potential merger, a Plan B will also be drawn up.

Each of the three fire authorities will be able to apply for £1.8m of Government cash for the scheme.

Mr Thomas said: “The reason we are doing this is because after seven years of an aborted project, we need to review our systems.

“I am not being directed financially. The overriding issue for us is about meeting the needs of Oxfordshire and the firefighters.”

He said: “I would never dismiss local knowledge as being a very useful thing.

“However, we all have to recognise that my staff now do not know every single road in Oxfordshire. Many unfortunately cannot live in Oxfordshire.”

He added: “Nobody worries about the AA finding you when you ring in the middle of the night.

“I always say that local knowledge is not as vital as the public think but I could not dismiss it as an aspect.”

But FBU control room representative Rachel Dobson said: “If calls are answered outside of Oxf-ordshire, the public will be dealing with people who are not familiar with the area.

“Sometimes if you are dealing with a life-critical incident, time is very precious.”

Charley Healey, 73, who was pulled to safety from his burning pub in Drayton St Leonard in January 2010, said: “When you have a fire, it is a matter of seconds, and I think handling the calls elsewhere could make that difference.”

County councillor Peter Handley added: “You cannot beat someone who will have travelled to Burford, Witney or Woodstock and knows where they are.

“They could be in Slough and not have a clue where these places are.

“You only need one mistake and it could be a life.”

* JOHN Prescott first put forward plans to replace 46 local control rooms with nine regional hubs back in 2003.

It cost £423m over seven years and drew criticism from councillors, the Fire Brigade Union and MPs including David Cameron.

It was scrapped by the Coalition in December.

But with energies focussed on the project for so long, its collapse left fire authorities needing to upgrade their control rooms.

The Oxfordshire County Council cabinet paper weighs up options including a technical upgrade, pooling some extra capacity, and merging with other Thames Valley control rooms.

If backed by councillors, the phased introduction could see the project in place by 2015.