Essex Fire Service 'still needs to improve', inspectors say

The inspection was carried out before Essex Fire and Rescue Service responded to 12 times the usual volume during the heatwave

A fire service needs to improve its response and prevention work, government inspectors said.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) scrutinised 15 fire and rescue services in its first report since the pandemic.

It said Essex Fire Service (ECFRS) also must "drive out unacceptable behaviour" and "tackle bullying and harassment".

The fire service said plans were already in place to cover the areas for improvement highlighted in the report.

The inspection was made before the service dealt with a large number of fires during last week's heatwave.

The inspectorate said it was satisfied with some of the improvements in performance in keeping people safe and secure from fires and other risks, "but there are more areas where the service still needs to improve".

The service's culture had improved, as well as out-of-hours support for technical fire safety advice, it said.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service tackles a recycling centre fire at Bocking

However, the fire service had not "addressed future financial challenges and appropriate use of resources" - and equality issues and recruitment and retention were areas of concern.

"We were disappointed to see that the service hasn't made the progress we expected since 2019," it said.

"The service has a clearly defined set of values but it must make sure they are fully embedded and that all staff understand what is expected and behave appropriately to maintain a professional and effective service to the public, and a working environment where all staff feel safe and supported."

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The service revealed it had dealt with 12 times the normal volume of incidents over the course of two days when temperatures across the East topped 40C last week.

Rick Hylton, ECFRS chief fire officer, said: "This report doesn't contain any surprises for us.

"We already have plans in place to cover the areas for improvement highlighted in this report.

"I'm proud of my team. Every single one of us works hard every day to make Essex a safer place for everyone to live, work and travel and we are all committed to improvement.

"You only have to look at how we have responded as a service to the many incidents caused by the recent heatwave, and the support the public has given us, to know we are on the right path."