NORTH-East firefighters have become the first in the country to use a high-tech digital radio system.

The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service switched off its old analogue network in December and is now using Firelink, which will eventually be used by every brigade.

Police forces and many ambulance services have already gone digital and fire brigades are following suit as part of the introduction of regional control centres across the country.

The new radio system is clearer, cannot be eavesdropped and will be able to give easy access to every brigade in the country and give firefighters easy communications with colleagues in the other 999 services..

John Adamson, is the principal officer for the North-East regional control that will be based in Belmont, Durham City.

He said: "It is very good news. Durham and Darlington is the first fire service to install Firelink equipment. We have received an enormous amount of good press about it.

"Everybody is delighted with the performance of the new system.

"It was delivered on time, which nobody else has so far managed to do. We have 66 vehicles in our fleet with the latest digital equipment and new national callsigns.’’ Iain Peverall, a coach builder at the brigade’s headquarters who is also a part-time firefighter at the Durham City fire station, said the system was a big improvement on the old.

"The quality is a lot better, you can understand control a lot better. Before there were a lot of signal blackspots. It reduces all the interference and it is very clear and easy to use.

"In Durham we get a lot of automatic fire alarm calls to university buildings in the city centre. There are a lot of tall buildings that created a lot of blackspots.’’ The brigade has been praised by Fire Minister Sadiq Khan for its efforts in pioneering the new system.

The new control centre will serve the Durham, Tyne and Wear, Cleveland and Northumberland brigades.

The £380m scheme is part of a £1bn national project and is due to come into in use in 2010 although there is a nine-month delay because of problems with software being developed at national level.