Foreword
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is adaptive and dynamic and is always there to keep the people of Essex safe. We are focused on new ways of working and the opportunities this brings in being able to use our estate differently. We are looking at innovative solutions to allow our people to continue to engage with one another in a much more flexible and agile way. Our role – as Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Chief Fire Officer – is to be forward thinking custodians of the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service estate, that is ready to meet the needs of the future. We are committed to providing value for money and investing in the right way to deliver a progressive and forward looking approach. We will ensure that we are looking ahead and keeping pace with demographic changes that are driving new developments and infrastructure needs across Essex. We want to ensure that we are at the forefront of new opportunities to ensure that our buildings and workspaces are environmentally sustainable and moving us towards a zero carbon footprint at the same time as sharing and maximising the use of all of our facilities across Essex. We are confident that this strategy will deliver these requirements.
By Roger Hirst, Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, Rick Hylton, Chief Fire Officer.
The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Estates Strategy 2021-2026 provides the strategic forward looking, progressive vision, ambition and commitment for the fire estate. It identifies our pledge to provide a fit for purpose, efficient and environmentally friendly estate that supports the work of the fire service at both a County and community level, keeping the workforce and people of Essex safe. The nature of the fire service is ever evolving and the demands across our prevention, protection and response delivery are very dynamic. Engaging our communities, working in partnership with other agencies and supporting our people to be the best that they can be, requires our assets to be the highest standards for today and for the future. The fire service sector continues to respond to a broad range of emergencies with commendable skill and professionalism and the service remains committed to protecting local communities. Safety critical, essential public services benefit from having a modern estate that allows our firefighters and corporate support staff to respond to the needs of the public. Innovation and advances in technology are allowing us to work in a more agile way, with greater flexibility in how we deliver essential services. Thorough analysis and assessment of evidence based performance, leads to sound decision making, which as a fire service ensures that we can provide a resilient, effective and value for money service to the communities of Essex. As we continue to recruit new firefighters and deliver against the priorities of the Fire & Rescue Plan, it is a necessity that we continue to develop our estate in a way that allows us to utilise our workspaces to be effective, environmentally sustainable and collaborative. We want our stations to be at the heart of our communities, engaging and accessible to the public so that we can maintain visibility and confidence. The Governments Fire Reform agenda sets a clear strategic direction, focusing on being efficient, accountable, transparent and representative of the communities served. This is further underpinned by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England. Essex County Fire and Rescue Services Estates Strategy represents a significant proportion of our financial investment. It is therefore crucial that our buildings and facilities provide our employees with the most efficient, effective and productive environments to thrive, work, train and support them to achieve our vision.
Roger Hirst Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner
Vision
An estate that contributes to keeping the people of Essex safe through strategic investment, improved efficiency and embracing new ways of working.
Rick Hylton Chief Fire Officer/ Chief Executive
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