The BBC has revealed that Essex Country Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is facing a crisis in staffing, with a Freedom of Information request finding that the service moved firefighters from their usual bases to elsewhere in the county on 2,570 occasions in 2023.
Crews are regularly asked to travel across the county, leaving smaller communities without adequate cover.
Fire engines were moved 304 times in August, with 301 in October and 278 in December.
Riccardo la Torre, FBU national officer said:
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is at crisis point after a decade of brutal cuts. Fire and rescue services shouldn’t have to move fire engines and firefighters around vast distances while scrambling to provide adequate protection for the public.
Over the last decade of austerity, 1 in 5 firefighter jobs have been cut. Essex has lost over 200 firefighters since 2010. The quilt is simply too small for the bed. Shifting it around just leaves other areas without cover.
Under-resourcing adds huge pressure to the work of firefighters, who are often forced to push themselves beyond reasonable limits to keep the public safe. Crews are left exhausted or without adequate facilities when constantly moved around.
The HMI has stated that Essex FRS is “heavily reliant” on overtime. This is unsustainable and dangerous.
In recent years, we have started to feel the impact of the climate crisis. The heatwave and wildfires of 2022 resulted in some of the busiest days for fire services since WW2, with Essex reporting one of the busiest 24 hours in its history as a service.
Instead of spending on trying to plug the gaps in a failing model, fire and rescue services should be investing in their workforces and calling for a reversal of the 30% cut to central government funding.”
