What happens when you dial 999?

Your call is sent to the telephone company emergency call handling centre which routes all calls for Hampshire to Fire Control - calls are normally answered within 1 to 5 seconds. Control will confirm with you the address of the incident and help will be despatched to you immediately. Hampshire Fire and Rescue has in excess of 100 fire engines and 60 Senior Officers available throughout the County.

How does Fire Control make this happen?

When your call is received, Control staff enter details in the Command and Control system. This system automatically finds the closest appliances and officers to respond, and activates the turnout system at the nearest fire station - turning on the audible alarms, part-time firefighters' personal alerters, lights at night and any other facilities connected to it. The address of the call is sent to the fire station teleprinter and officers' pagers.

Control initially mobilise to each incident with a specific response which is called a Pre-Determined Attendance (PDA). The PDA to an incident will vary considerably dependent on many considerations, such as:

Location.
Type of Incident.
Type of Property (eg High Rise/Hospital).
Crewing (personnel) required.
Equipment required.