The Control Room (CR) is the heart of the Barbados Fire Service's (BFS) operations. Like the human heart, all operational functions occur as a result of, or in conjunction with the Control Room. It is usually the first point of contact for persons calling the BFS. There are several Control Rooms, but the main "Fire Control" however, is located at Fire Service Headquarters, the City.

Department Mobilisation

The mobilisation of department resources, i.e., fire appliances (trucks), personnel and equipment is conducted from the control room. All emergency phone calls made to 311 lines are received via the control room, and after they have been received, the appropriate number of appliances and crew are despatched to the scene. Apart from despatching a fire crew and appliance, the Control Room is also responsible for alerting the senior officers and other mutual aid agencies, e.g., Royal Barbados Police Force, Emergency Ambulance Service, Barbados Defence Force, Barbados Light and Power, Barbados Water Authority or Central Emergency Relief Organisation.

Control Room Attendant(s)

Control Room Attendant is the title given to personnel working in the control room. The Control Room Attendant has the full authority of the Chief Fire Officer to mobilise the resources of the entire fire service and to implement executive decisions necessary for the control of an emergency in collaboration with the Incident Commander.

CRA,s are required to have a good understanding of the respective station areas and geographical profile of the island. They are also required to keep calm and objective during emergency calls. The CRA should obtain as much information from callers regarding any emergency situation as this could be useful to responding personnel. CRA,s must be able to multitask, he/she keeps track of all emergency situations that the department has been mobilised to attend, monitor communications via the department's radio network and document all relevant information, including the movement of personnel and appliances.