Develop and broaden the range of roles and activities undertaken by the Service

Firefighters responded to more than 5,000 emergencies other than fires in the last year in Essex. In the year 2021/2022, crews were called to 5,221 flooding incidents, road traffic collisions, rescues from water, building collapses, as well as making dangerous structures safe, the spill of hazardous materials and providing assistance to other partners and agencies. In January, the service was called to more than 180 incidents as a result of heavy rain and widespread flooding. The Control Room took three times the average number of calls over 24 hours, with crews dispatched to 70 rescue incidents which included a dog which had been swept away in a river, flooded properties and road traffic collisions. The team also received 90 calls from homeowners and drivers who were experiencing the effects of the flooding, but were not at life risk. On-call firefighters helped to prevent flood water from entering 12 houses after the River Brain burst its banks. The crews worked with on-call firefighters from Maldon, who took specialist equipment to help pump the water away from the houses, and the Environment Agency. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is recognised nationally and internationally for the work it does with its communities and businesses to keep people safe, and to prevent fire and incidents happening in the first place. The organisation also works with partners to tackle wider social issues by creating intervention programmes which can influence positive behaviour change. Firefighters visit residents’ homes to deliver home safety advice as well as fitting smoke alarms. Crews also carry out fire safety inspections and audits, visiting businesses and buildings, assessing how well the premises are managed with regards to fire safety. In 2021/2022, firefighters completed 1,267 Home Fire Safety Checks and 3,391 Protection jobs. Crews also continued to work in the fight against Covid-19, delivering lateral flow tests, supporting vaccination centres or administering vaccines.  

Find out more by reading the annual report.