Skip to main content
Accessibility Tool
  • Zoom in
  • Zoom out
  • Reset
  • Contrast
  • Accessibility help
Home

Website header menu

  • Join Essex Fire
  • Request a home safety visit
  • Contact us
Menu Close
  • Home
  • About us
    Back
    About us
    • How we respond to keep Essex safe
    • Our strategies, plans and reports
    • Service Leadership Team
    • Our Fire Stations
    • Accessibility statement
    • Safeguarding statement
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Financial information
    • Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex
  • Join Essex Fire
  • Safety advice
  • Education
    Back
    Education
    • Education Programmes
    • Education Hub
    • Fire Cadets
    • Fire Safety Intervention
    • FireBreak
    • Activities for Children
  • Incidents
  • News
  • The Essex Fire Museum
  • Contact us
    Back
    Contact us
    • Contact our Service
    • Compliments and Complaints
    • Incident Reports

Website header menu

  • Join Essex Fire
  • Request a home safety visit
  • Contact us
Events and Open Days

Events and Open Days

Find out more
Save Safely

Save Safely

Fires cost. At best it’s smoke damage and a new appliance, at worst it’s your house or even your life. Here are our best tips to save money while staying safe at the same time. 

The cost of living is rising and people are…

Find out more
Summer Safety

Summer Safety

Summer is a busy period for our fire service so we're giving our best advice to help prevent incidents and help everyone to stay safe this summer.  

Our fire service usually sees a rise in wildfires in the summer and…

Find out more

Welcome to our new website. We welcome your feedback.

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. News
Press release
|
31 Mar 2023

Celebrating 75 years of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Two fire engines parked with '75 years' written using fire hoses.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service celebrated its 75th anniversary with an event at Essex Fire Museum today. 

Housing a collection featuring historic fire engines, firefighting equipment, uniforms and photographs, visitors saw for themselves how firefighting has changed over the last three-quarters of a century and beyond.

The 75th anniversary marks the creation of Essex County Fire Brigade (ECFB) in 1948 after the National Fire Service (NFS) was abolished. 

Back then, ECFB was made up of six divisions each with its own divisional control staffed by ‘firewomen’, which we now know as Control Officers. There were 65 fire stations and crews worked 60 hour weeks. 

Fleet Workshops was set up in Lexton and began maintaining many ex-wartime NFS vehicles which were painted from grey to red. 

Over the last seven decades ECFRS has seen a huge amount of change and, most notably, has led the way for changes in protective personal equipment (uniform).

In 1985 the Essex County Fire Brigade was renamed to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, to acknowledge the Service not only existed to extinguish fires but to rescue people too.

Dan Bailey, Heritage and Volunteer Manager, said:

“It’s such a proud day for us as a Service to recognise 75 years of Serving the people of Essex and a real pleasure to be able to host the celebration at the Essex Fire Museum.

“The museum was originally based on former Grays Fire Fighter Roger Pickett’s own collection of memorabilia. Now expanded through donations and loans, it provides a fascinating journey through the history of firefighting in Essex.

“Our museum volunteer team are unsung heroes of our Service. They support at events, carry out research and help to maintain the museum to improve the experience for visitors.

"They've carried out a considerable amount of research into the history of the fire service, particularly in Essex, and it’s thanks to their hard work that we’re able to look back over the last 75 years and see how things have changed.”

A timeline of significant events over the years:

  • 1948: Essex County Fire Brigade (ECFB) is created and is the only fire brigade to paint steel helmets cherry red 
  • 1957: ECFB has over 140 appliances including a Dennis, Comer and Dodge
  • 1969: Rose & Crown Hotel fire, Saffron Walden, 26 December 1969, eleven people perished. This incident resulted in the Fire Protection Act, 1971.
  • 1970s:  ECFB issued Nomex tunics and yellow leggings. London Fire Brigade followed in the late 80s. The Nomex tunics finally replaced the archetypical Victorian-designed Melton cloth tunics worn by firemen for well over 100 years.
  • 1980s: The first female firefighter was appointed which gave women the opportunity to participate, for the first time, in all sectors of ECFB/ECFRS. 
  • 1995: Southend Pier fire broke out in the bowling alley which spread to the railway station causing £1.4 million of damage in today’s money. The Essex Fire Authority replaced the Fire and Public Protection Committee.
  • 2005: The first Scania appliances made their first appearances.
  • 2011: The traditional black PPE equipment was replaced by gold PPE at a formal ceremony.

The Essex Fire Museum is open every Tuesday and occasional Sundays throughout the year including school holidays. For more details on dates and how to book visit essex-fire.gov.uk/museum

High Sheriff Nicholas Alston, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Moira Bruin and Volunteer and Heritage Manager Dan Bailey
High Sheriff Nicholas Alston, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Moira Bruin and Volunteer and Heritage Manager Dan Bailey
Museum - Grays
Fire Museum 1
Stay connected

Sign up to receive news and updates from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Did you find this page useful?

  • Yes
  • No
The Essex Fire Museum
Find out more

Footer

  • Compliments and Complaints
  • Incident Reports
  • Staff Email access
  • Retired Members Association

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters

Kelvedon Park
Rivenhall
Witham
Essex
CM8 3HB

Emergencies: 999

HQ Tel: 01376 576000 HQ

Tel: 0300 3035555

Fax: 01376 570466

Do not report emergencies to our HQ. To report an emergency please call 999.

Request a fire report or make a Freedom of Information request here

Make compliments and complaints here

Connect with us

  • Follow us on
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin

Armed Forces Covenant logoInclusive Employers Standard logo

Footer bottom

  • Accessibility statement
  • Safeguarding statement
  • Cookies policy
  • Privacy Notice