Gemma Elliott

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Our vision at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is clear: To make Essex a safe place to live, work and travel. With a patch covering 367,000 hectares and a population of more than 1.74 million, Essex is one of the largest County fire services in the UK. We have 51 fire stations across the county and three quarters of these are on-call. Over the last 10 years Essex has seen a 45% reduction in incidents, meaning we focus as much on prevention and protection as we do response to incidents. As well as fighting fires, attending road accidents and dealing with major emergencies, we educate and communicate to make safety the heart of our community work. Our people are our greatest asset and we value, respect and honour all they do for our Service. We create an inclusive and non-judgemental environment that respects people as individuals, embraces diversity and creates opportunities to celebrate our staff. Above all we constantly recognise that our firefighters, control staff, support staff and volunteers are all part of one team to deliver a safer Service and a safer Essex.