Essex County Fire & Rescue: RSS News & Incidents Feed

Update - 08:00hrs - Wednesday - No Incidents of Note

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:26:05 GMT

Incident: 0000

Time: 08:00

In attendance:

Brightlingsea launch event this weekend

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:26:05 GMT

Public services across Essex are continuing to cut costs with an innovative property sharing initiative.

Brightlingsea is the latest location where Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service have joined forces to cut costs. The town’s Neighbourhood Policing Team has moved in to the recently renovated fire station, following on from similar sharing agreements in Tiptree, West Mersea and Wivenhoe.

The partnership enables both organisations to make savings on running costs, as well as the future sale of empty buildings. In Wivenhoe, the police station has just been sold to Wivenhoe Town Council, retaining the building for the use of the local community. Essex Police have gained a capital sum of £410,000 from the sale, in addition to significantly reduced annual running costs. This is significant for the force, which is in the process of reducing its budget by more than £41m as a result of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review,

The latest partnership will be celebrated with an open day at Brightlingsea Fire Station this Saturday, May 19.

Deputy Chief Constable Derek Benson said: “We are always looking to use our resources in the most efficient and effective way to make sure every penny counts for council tax payers. This partnership is excellent news for Brightlingsea as it means their Neighbourhood Policing Team will continue to be based in the town. There will be no change to the existing team under the leadership of Sgt Simon Tattersall and contact details remain the same.”
Deputy Chief Officer Adam Eckley, of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are particularly looking forward to the open day on Saturday and the chance to meet members of the local community to celebrate this positive partnership working. These are testing times financially, and it’s vital that we use every single resource we have as efficiently as possible, including our estate.”

Visitors to the open day will have the opportunity to jump behind the wheel of the Essex Police simulator and test their driving skills, as well as try on costumes from the force museum and speak to the Marine Unit. In addition, the Mounted Unit will be patrolling the area.

Visitors will also be able to take a look at a fire engine, the Fire Boat, as well as a demonstration of how quickly a chip pan fire can get out of control. There will be refreshments available.

The open day is taking place at Brightlingsea Fire Station, Lower Park Road, Brightlingsea between 10am and 4pm. DCC Benson and DCO Eckley will be cutting the ribbon to officially open the shared site at midday.

Reckless union renegades out on a limb, says CFO

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:26:05 GMT

Chief Fire Officer David Johnson is calling for union assurances that Essex firefighters will suspend impending strike action in the immediate run up to and during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and Olympic Games.
After three years of industrial action, he has branded the Fire Brigades Union’s attempt to hijack national celebrations as reckless, particularly since Service management has offered talks with third party conciliators from ACAS.
The union has been badgering for mediation for many months but when it was offered by Service managers to break the deadlock, the FBU has placed new pre-conditions and demands on the table to ensure it didn’t actually happen, including opposition to using ACAS despite the fact that the organisation has an unrivalled 91 % success record in resolving complex and long standing disputes.
CFO Johnson has described the union’s latest decision to ballot for strike, from today, as totally reckless, ill-timed and politically motivated.
And he warned that the public was in no mood to support wayward renegades at a time when the entire country was gearing up to put economic gloom behind them for Olympic and Jubilee festivities.
In a letter to Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Matt Wrack today, he says: “Strike action is bound to increase risk to our community and should be a last straw, not employed when talks remain very much an option.”
It is still unclear from correspondence between Service managers and the Union whether the FBU is intending to call on firefighters to strike in continuous action or through a series of disruptive, one day strikes. CFO Johnson is seeking clarification so that adequate contingency arrangements can be put in place to ensure communities are safe.
“We need to understand from an organisational point of view because a strike would need significantly more resources over many weeks than it would for a series of day-long strikes. But more importantly, our frontline firefighters who are out there doing a fantastic job, need to know if they are voting to lose a day’s pay or whether they will be facing weeks of financial hardship,” said CFO Johnson.
“Everything about this ballot for strike suggests it’s being used to strengthen the FBU’s negotiating position. But I’ve said before, we cannot agree to Union demands as they are, and therefore, firefighters participating in the ballot should be sure that a yes vote will result in them going out on strike.
“To hijack national celebrations is disappointing enough but then to hold the County to ransom by not being explicit with regard to strike plans should the FBU secure a majority shows total disregard for the people and businesses they claim to care so much about.
“In the face of the challenges affecting all public sector organisations, the guarantees we have already provided and our offer to talks via ACAS, I cannot believe that the majority of our workforce would be prepared to strike on the whim of FBU officials and I am hoping they will make that clear by using their vote wisely in the ballot.”
The union has given ECFRS management until 14:00 hrs today to accept its latest demands. With that unlikely to happen, the next step will be for them to go ahead with the strike ballot.

Lorry Tire on Fire - A12, J26 to J25, Marks Tey to Eight Ash Green

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:26:05 GMT

Incident: 9095

Time: 11:55

In attendance: 1 x Colchester, 1 x Tiptree, 1 x Coggeshall

Temporary Buildings alight - Oliver Road, Grays

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:26:05 GMT

Incident: 9020

Time: 03:55

In attendance: 2 x Grays, 2 x Orsett, 1 x Grays ALP