PFCC hails Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service control room staff during International Control Room Week

Roger Hirst, PFCC Essex, hailed the outstanding work of control room operators from both Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service during International Control Room Week.

Mr Hirst said: “The work of a control room operator is very demanding, required to be the calm, steady voice of both Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, a reassuring presence to Essex residents who are in emergency situations.

“The staff of both control rooms do a wonderful job, helping to keep our Essex communities safe.”

Mr Hirst toured the Essex Police control room on Wednesday 29th October with Chief Supt Timothy Tubbs and was introduced to staff during his visit.

The Essex Police Contact Centre received nearly 30,000 enquiries during September – which was by far the quietest month. July was the busiest, incredibly they received nearly 70,000 enquiries - of which nearly 40,000 were 999 calls!

The Contact Centre Officer who took the most 999 calls in the last year took 4,078 calls over 12 months.

The average time for the Contact Centre to respond to a 999 call was under 10 seconds – and much faster at most times of day.

The number of the public messaging Essex Police via LiveChat, rather than ringing the service, has nearly doubled in the last year. The busiest month was July with nearly 5,000 LiveChats.

In the 12 months to September 2025, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service operators handled around 34,000 calls – an average of more than 90 every day.

From fires and road traffic collisions to flooding, rescues and medical incidents, ECFRS Control operators are there to take the call and send help when people in Essex need it most.

While the number of fires attended has fallen (particularly accidental fires in homes, down by around eight per cent since 2020–21) the types of emergencies the service responds to are changing.

ECFRS Control now handles more “special service” incidents, including rescues, flooding incidents and road traffic collisions. These calls have risen by around 30 per cent, showing how the fire and rescue service role continues to evolve to meet the needs of Essex communities.