Essex County Fire & Rescue Service News

Both Braintree and Witham Fire Stations will be hosting recruitment taster sessions this month for those considering joining their team of on-call firefighters. Witham Fire Station will host its session on Saturday, 25 November, 2024, while Braintree Fire Station will hold its event on Sunday, 3 December, 2024. These sessions provide a unique opportunity to learn more about this vital role in the local community. Recruitment taster sessions During the taster sessions, attendees will meet with...

Orsett Fire Station has re-opened its doors after renovations and improvement work. On Friday 12 July, colleagues across Essex County Fire and Rescue Service joined firefighters from Orsett for a small station re-opening ceremony. Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive Rick Hylton and Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Jane Gardner gave speeches and thanked everyone involved in the project, particularly Orsett's crews who have been relocated at Grays Fire Station. renovation and improv...

Two on-call firefighters from Tiptree Fire Station have been awarded Chief Fire Officer Commendations for their exemplary actions after they saved a man's life. Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Officer Rick Hylton presented Crew Manager Glenn Lambard and Firefighter Woody Whymark with their awards at Tiptree Fire Station on Monday 8 July, with crew members and family members celebrating their achievements. First aid help In the summer of 2023, Woody was a passenger in his friend’s car...

Frinton and Dunmow Fire Stations have become new response posts for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) as part of an ongoing collaboration project with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS). The three-year project which has already gone live, will see the Ambulance Service using fire service stations as response posts. benefit to emergency services This partnership will bring resources closer to local communities as well as benefit the staff of both emergency servi...

The Fire and Rescue Services of Essex and Bedfordshire awarded Frequentis the contract for providing its latest version of its 3020 Integrated Communications Control System (ICCS) for their new joint control rooms project. Essex has been using Frequentis solutions for some seven years. A new collaborative control center in a brand new facility will be established. This contract when completed will enable the combined team of Essex and Bedfordshire FRS to have one of the pioneer and highly reli...

When a shortage of truck drivers resulted in empty motor fuel pumps in the United Kingdom, long queues formed and many motorists began panic buying. The situation induced motorists to hoard fuel, a practice that brings with it a long list of fire risks. Many fire departments in the United Kingdom provided stern warnings of the dangers. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service advised anyone looking to store petrol at home to follow correct storage protocols. Hoarding additional quantities North Yo...

Essex Fire Chief pledges £70,000 to the local council to ensure most vulnerable benefit from sprinklers as part of match funding approach to dealing with fire risk across the county. sprinklers Seven housing estates in the Felmores area of Basildon will be retrofitted with sprinklers. Previously, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service provided £50,000 to Basildon Council to fit sprinklers in a high-rise residential block. This announcement coincides with the NFCC’s National Sp...

The number of Police Fire and Crime Commissioners could rise after the PCC elections on 6 May, as the UK Government indicates strong support for this type of governance. Currently, there are four Police Fire and Crime Commissioners in England: Staffordshire Essex Northamptonshire North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan is stepping down in North Yorkshire and Mathew Ellis is likewise in Staffordshire. PCC elections Other PCCs have shown interest in taking on governance in the fire but have bee...

Hunter are delighted to have been able to play their part in the supply of PPE to the frontline staff during the extremely difficult months of 2020. COVID has tested every business and challenged the way in which they operate. So to receive such a warm thankyou from one of their customers have really made Hunter finish the year with a great sense of pride. “Just passing on a heartfelt thanks from everyone at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service for the support provided this year with our...

Ground-breaking research has revealed the serious health risks to UK firefighters following exposure to toxic fire effluents, the chemicals emitted during a fire, in an independent University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) report commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The work is the UK's first and the latest in a growing body of international evidence suggesting an increased risk of firefighters developing cancer and other diseases. Fires produce a cocktail of toxic, irritant, and carci...

Suffolk FRS was mobilized to a commercial Kitchen fire in a unit contained within a multi-occupied Shopping Centre. The BS EN 12845 sprinkler system operated via 1 quick response sprinkler head which not only suppressed but extinguished the fire prior to the arrival of operational crews. Fire/smoke damage was contained to the room of origin, operational crews assisted with salvage and worked extremely hard/well with center staff. The unit of origin was planning to reopen in the afternoon with a...

Members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority have approved the appointment of an assistant chief fire officer. Jon Anderson was confirmed by members at a meeting on Thursday (25) after being recommended for the role following a two-day selection process. Chairman of the authority, Councillor Kevin Reynolds, said: “We are delighted to confirm Jon in the role and offer our congratulations after a challenging process. Jon has showed his passion and drive for the Service and...

The UK’s oldest manufacturer of fire vehicles – based in Batley – is readying itself for the biggest recruitment drive in its 54-year history, as the team prepares for its largest ever period of growth. Established in 1965, fire fighting and rescue vehicle specialist Angloco has already doubled production levels in the last 18 months, which sees 2017-18 turnover of £13m look set to rocket to £25m by the end of 2020. Water tender appliances But with the uplift sho...

The aerial dataset is being deployed across the entire organisation with more than 1,600 staff having access to the data Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is using the latest high resolution aerial photography from Bluesky to improve incident response and planning. The aerial dataset, covering more than three and a half thousand square kilometres, is being deployed across the entire organisation with more than 1,600 staff having access to the data via the service’...

OxyReduct is cost effective & has a high-value storage & mission critical applications Essex County Fire & Rescue Service (ECFRS) has opened a new state-of-the-art Command & Control Centre, which is protected by WAGNER UK’s OxyReduct® fire prevention system. The multi-million pound development, which is an extension to the existing Fire Service HQ based at Kelvedon Park, Witham, provides a new 999 call centre, together with training and admin faci...

The challenge was undertaken to raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity and Operation Florian West Sussex FRS Chief Fire Officer Sean Ruth and Deputy Fire Officer Lee Neale recently undertook a charity cycle challenge visiting every fire station in the county over two days to raise as much money as possible for the Fire Fighters Charity and Operation Florian; two vital charities providing an invaluable source of help and support to firefighters, both at home and abroad. The...

Firefighters must have a good understanding of electrical appliances and their safety from fires Enabling rescue services to extend their understanding of electrical fires, we help them develop best-practice techniques and approaches. With government statistics showing that approximately half of all accidental domestic fires in the UK are caused by electricity, hands-on training for front line staff is vital. To help address this issue, the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) rec...