Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is one of the largest fire and rescue services in the country, serving a county which includes Stansted and Southend airports, Harwich seaport, Lakeside shopping centre, Coryton oil refinery, power stations, docks at Tilbury and parts of the M25 and M11 motorways. Essex has one of the largest sections of coastline (350 miles) in the country.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service provides prevention, protection and emergency response services from 50 fire stations and an Urban Search and Rescue facility.
The organisation is administered from its headquarters in Kelvedon, where the service also has a mobilising control centre. The service is governed by Essex Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, Fire and Rescue Authority, which is responsible for fire & rescue services covering an area over 1,400 square miles and a population of 1.8 million.
For over 160 years, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary independently assessed and reported on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces and policing, in the public interest.
In summer 2017, HMIC (now HMICFRS) took on inspections of England’s fire & rescue services, assessing and reporting on their efficiency, effectiveness and leadership.
