The fire service union today warned the government to abandon plans to cut local control room centres or face the prospect of strikes.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, issued the threat on the closing day of the union's four-day annual conference.
The union says plans to merge 46 control rooms in England into nine regional centres will lead to cuts in fire services, push up council tax and put lives in danger.
Scotland's eight control centres face the prospect of being merged into one, two or three regional centres.
Conference delegates passed an emergency resolution condemning the plans, which the union says it will now oppose by any means possible, including balloting members over industrial action.
Mr Wrack said the ability of frontline service staff to respond instantly to incidents could be badly damaged. "It won't be benefits or tax credits being delayed, as happened after other government technology failures: it will be a frontline 999 service," he said.
Mr Wrack said the union's opposition had the support of a number of councillors and fire authorities.
He also had doubts about the installation of the new technology required to run the service. "The government's track record on large-scale technology projects is very poor. Their record suggests this project will be very expensive and fraught with difficulty," he said.
"The project will lead to cuts in fire services and push up council tax to pay the £1bn costs of these remote regional centres. It is expensive, risky, and won't save a single life.
"The new ministers must look again at the professional arguments put to them. If they press ahead we will look at our options, and that will include industrial action."
Mr Wrack was speaking at the end of his first annual conference as general secretary since he ousted Andy Gilchrist in the recent election for the post.
The fire service last took national strike action in 2003 in a bitter and protracted pay dispute that ended in compromise.
