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More fire engines must be available, says report

Zoe Applegate
ECFRS Three firefighters spray water from a hose into a large grey warehouse, which has partially collapsed due to a fire. Other parts of the building are charred black from the heat.ECFRS
Inspectors have published a report into their findings after visiting Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

A fire service has been told again to make more fire engines available to respond to emergencies.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) was reviewed by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Overall, it said ECFRS was good at protecting people and responding to 999 callouts, but must further improve to provide a consistently good service.

A spokesman for the service "welcomed" the findings "which recognise the progress we've made in aligning our response to risk, while also highlighting the need to strengthen fire engine availability".

Inspectors said ECFRS had made "several improvements" since its previous visit in October 2023.

They rated the service as "good" in five areas, "adequate" in three and "requiring improvement" in two.

But they noted fire engine availability still needed to improve, with this going hand in hand with the availability of on-call firefighters, which had declined over five years.

Engines can be unavailable for several reasons, including staffing issues.

Although ECFRS has 66 fire engines, it was unable to consistently achieve its aim of having 40 available at any one time, the report said.

Inspectors also said there was a shortage of "risk-critical skills" among the crews, specifically driving and water safety.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service The aftermath of the fire shows a burnt out warehouse and materialsEssex County Fire and Rescue Service
The service was praised for the way it worked at complex and large-scale fires such as a week-long blaze at a recycling facility in Basildon in 2024

HM inspector of fire and rescue services Roy Wilsher said he was "disappointed" by the continuing decline of available fire engines.

However, he concluded: "The chief fire officer and senior leadership team understand where improvements are needed and I'm confident they will continue to move forward."

The report also praised the service's "considerable" work to improve its culture.

And it noted how it worked well with other emergency services and managed complex incidents, such as at a large industrial blaze in September 2024.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service Two firefighters are at a waste recycling centre. One of them is holding a hose and the other is holding a pitch fork. They are both wearing firefighter uniform including a yellow fluorescent helmet and yellow fluorescent jackets which says FIRE & RESCUE on the back.Essex Fire and Rescue Service
On-call firefighters combine their main jobs with responding to fire service emergencies as needed

ECFRS said second fire engines already based at Canvey Island, Dovercourt, Great Dunmow and Witham would now be available for more callouts, after plans were signed off.

A spokesman said the service continued to recruit on-call firefighters.

ECFRS serves a population of 1.9 million people across a mix of urban and rural areas.

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