EEAST- Experts & Thought Leaders

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 driving past Stores Lane in Tiptree when he noticed a man on the ground needing first aid. He asked his friend to pull over and see what was happening. Woody said, “On stopping and offering to assist, I quickly established from witnesses the man had been stabbed multiple times. I instantly helped as much as I could.” medical emergency Woody called for assistance from his colleague, Glenn due to his role as a Senior Emergency Medical Technician Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Woody called for assistance from his colleague, Glenn, who is heavily involved in Trauma Training at the fire station, due to his role as a Senior Emergency Medical Technician (working on a frontline ambulance) with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST). Glenn described his swift response, “Once I got the call from Woody explaining to me the medical emergency, I immediately stopped what I was doing, grabbed some first aid supplies from home, and responded to assist as quickly as I could to help the casualty." courage and professionalism Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Rick Hylton commended their response to the incident, "Glenn and Woody’s actions, and those of the other first responders from EEAST, along with the assistance of the Air Ambulance, meant that the man survived." “They both displayed acts of courage and professionalism in responding to the unexpected scenario that unfolded that day, helping to save a life in their community.” Following the incident, the Tiptree crews have been working closely with anti-knife crime campaigner, Julie Taylor, from the Liam Taylor Legacy. public access bleed kits Julie was a guest of honor at Tiptree Fire Station on 8 July, where the crews presented her with a cheque of £100 Julie lost her grandson, Liam,19, in 2020, after he was tragically stabbed to death outside a Writtle pub. Julie has been tirelessly fundraising and has provided hundreds of public access bleed kits to locations across Essex and beyond. Julie was a guest of honor at Tiptree Fire Station on 8 July, where the crews presented her with a cheque of £100 - funds raised during Tiptree Fire Station’s open day in 2023. The money will be used to pay for an emergency bleed kit to be placed in the local community.  on-site kits Tiptree Fire Station already has a bleed kit kept on site. The Service’s FireCar also has one onboard. FireCar is an Audi S3 performance car generously donated by Group 1 Audi. This valuable partnership allows the road safety team to engage with the target audience which primarily (although not necessarily exclusively) is young 17 - 25-year-old performance car (‘cruiser car’) enthusiasts, who are amongst the highest-risk road user groups.

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 services. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Moira Bruin said, “I’d like to give a warm welcome to our Ambulance Service colleagues into Frinton and Dunmow fire stations." providing service to communities “Working in partnership with the Ambulance Service isn’t a new initiative, crews collaborate daily during incidents. However, this fantastic collaboration opportunity will allow us to work closer and provide an even better service to the communities we serve." "We will be looking to expand this project to more fire stations in the future. We know that by working together we can make Essex a safer place to live, work and travel.” faster ambulance response Kate Vaughton, EEAST Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Integration said, “We are delighted to be working closely with Essex Fire and Rescue Service to provide a better service to our patients, by using fire stations as local response posts for ambulances." “Having these response posts in local communities will enable us to respond faster to medical emergencies, getting help and support to patients who need us. This builds on our joint working with the fire service in Essex, including the Community Wellbeing Officers who can help respond to people who have fallen and don’t require an ambulance response.” vehicle charging facilities The emergency services teams will share the station including vehicle charging facilities The emergency services teams will share the station including vehicle charging facilities. Roger Hirst, Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner for Essex said, “I welcome this opportunity to further ensure Essex County Fire and Rescue Service works together and collaborates with East of England Ambulance Service to focus on the most vulnerable in our communities, who are often most at risk of crime, health crises, fire, and other hazards, and keep them from harm.” public safety The project emphasizes the commitment of both ECFRS and EEAST to prioritize public safety and enhance their service delivery models. By working together more closely, the two services aim to provide an integrated approach to emergency response, ultimately saving more lives and better serving the people of Essex.

GMB Union has announced industrial action ballot dates for more than 15,000 ambulance workers across 11 trusts in England and Wales for strike action. Ambulance workers from London, East of England, East and West Midlands, North East, Yorkshire, North West, South Central, South East Coast, South West, and Wales Ambulance trusts will participate in the strike vote. strike ballots Thousands more NHS workers will also be balloted across other NHS trusts, with more votes set to follow Thousands more NHS workers will also be balloted across other NHS trusts, with more votes set to follow. The ballot opens on 24 October and closes on 29 November, and any potential strike action could occur before Christmas.  The strike ballots follow consultative votes across all the trusts in which workers voted strongly in favor of strike action. Workers are angry over the Government’s imposed 4 percent pay award, which leaves them facing yet another massive real terms pay cut.   Cuts and shortages  Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said “Ambulance workers have just had enough. They’ve not been on strike in decades, but they are at the end of what they can take. Pay has been systematically slashed for more than ten years and we now face the worst cost of living crush in a generation."  Rachel Harrison adds, "Meanwhile vacancies are at record highs and we have the worst A&E delays ever and it’s not even the winter flu season yet. But this is about more than pay and conditions. Cuts and shortages mean GMB members feel unable to deliver safe standards of patient care. Things can’t go on like this - something has to give.”