Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is the statutory FRS (fire and rescue service) for the county of Essex in the southeast of England, and is one of the largest FRSs in the country, with a patch covering almost 400,000 hectares and a population of over 1½ million people.

In 2005, ECFRS attended a total of 24,291 emergency incidents, mostly made up of fires and road traffic collisions. [ [http://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/pages/index.asp?area=2 Essex County Fire & Rescue Service: About us, (accessed 16 Jan 07)] ] It employs 1,768 staff, comprised of 967 full-time firefighters, 524 retained firefighters (those who have other full-time jobs but attend incidents on a call-out basis) and 277 support staff at control, training, workshop and service locations. There are 52 fire stations throughout Essex consisting of 19 full-time stations, located in the more densely populated centres, and 33 retained stations providing cover throughout the rest of the county.

Major risks covered include Stansted and Southend airports, Lakeside shopping centre, BP's oil refinery at Coryton, docks at Tilbury and part of the M25 and M11 motorways.

As well as attending fires, road traffic collisions and other rescue operations, ECFRS also provides emergency response to hazardous material incidents and provides one of the UK's urban search and rescue (USAR) teams - a team of officers with special training and equipment to conduct rescues from collapsed buildings and enclosed spaces. Their resources include Darcy, the USAR dog, who has been trained to sniff out people trapped in rubble. Another primary role of the Service is preventative community safety work.

Organisation

* [http://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/pages/index.asp?area=2&id=7 See: Interactive map of fire stations]

ECFRS Headquarters is based in Kelvedon. In 2002 the FRS was divided into seven Community Commands, to reflect the increasing need for the fire service to work in closer contact with communities. They are:

#Basildon and Castle Point Community Command
#Chelmsford and Maldon Community Command
#Colchester and Tendering Community Command
#Harlow and Epping Community Command
#Southend and Rochford Community Command
#Thurrock and Brentwood Community Command
#Uttlesford and Braintree Community Command

The Chief Fire Officer is David Johnson, since July 2005.

The Emergency Operational Fire Control is situated in Hutton. Over 60,000 emergency calls and several hundered thousand administrative calls are taken by control staff every year. The control staff also carry out incident co-ordination, appliance movements to ensure strategic fire cover, movement of personnel and advanced call handling to give life protecting advice via the telephone. Radio communications are made between incidents and Fire Control and Control staff liaise with other services and provide additional resources when requested by firefighting personnel.The administrative centre for the service is also based at Hutton.ECFRS intends to move to a regional 999 centre in 2011, and is currently in the phase of moving its headquarters to Kelvedon Park.

There are training centres at Chelmsford, Orsett, Witham and Wethersfield. Service Workshops are based in Lexden, Colchester, and it is here that the operational fleet of 71 frontline appliances and 20 specialist appliances are maintained, and the reserve fleet of about 15 spare appliances are stored.

Appliances

ECFRS has the following firefighting appliances in operation:
* 55 Rescue Pumps (the standard pumping appliance; every station has at least one)
* 16 Water Tenders (similar to the Pump except with less emphasis on rescue equipment)

The front line appliances currently in operation are a combination of Dennis "Rapiers", "Daggers", "Sabres" and "Sabre XLs"; and since 2004 the newer appliances have been Scania "94Ds" and "P270s". There is still one Dennis "RS" in the reserve fleet.

Specialised appliances:
* 5 Aerial Ladder Platforms (ALPs)
* 5 Light Water Tenders (LWrT) (4 Pinzgauers and 1 Unimog)
* 4 Rescue Tenders (RT)
* 2 Foam Tankers (FTkr)
* 1 Foam Tender (FT)
* 1 Control Unit (CU)
* 1 Hose Layer (HL)
* 1 Fireboat (FBt)

USAR appliances:
* 1 Incident Response Unit
* 5 prime movers with various demountable pods
* 1 Search Dog van

The Service's driving school is at Chelmsford, and is home to 4 emergency fire appliance driving (EFAD) pumps and 2 mutli-purpose training lorries.

Fire stations

This is a complete list of Essex fire stations, and the appliances allocated to them:
* Basildon W52 - Wholetime, 2 Rescue Pumps, 1 Aerial Ladder Platform
* Billericay W68 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Light Water Tender (Pinzgauer)
* Braintree W78 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Brentwood W51 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender, 1 Control Unit
* Brightlingsea E20 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Burnham on Crouch E43 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Light Water Tender (Pinzgauer), 1 Fireboat
* Canvey Island W54 - Wholetime/Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Chelmsford E34 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender, 1 Aerial Ladder Platform, 1 Incident Response Unit
* Clacton E12 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Coggeshall E24 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Colchester E10 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender, 1 Aerial Ladder Platform, 1 Rescue Tender
* Corringham W66 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Dovercourt E11 - Day manned, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Epping W89 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Foam Tanker
* Frinton E18 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Grays W50 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender, 1 Rescue Tender, 1 Foam Tender
* Great Baddow E33 - Day manned, 1 Rescue Pump
* Great Dunmow W87 - Retained, 1 Resce Pump, 1 Light Water Tender (Pinzgauer)
* Hadleigh E35 - Wholetime, 2 Rescue Pumps, 1 Hose Layer
* Halstead W81 - Retained, 2 Rescue Pumps
* Harlow Central W70 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender, 1 Aerial Ladder Platform, 1 Rescue Tender
* Hawkwell E47 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Ingatestone W67 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Leaden Roding W88 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Leigh E31 - Wholetime, 2 Rescue Pumps, 1 Rescue Tender
* Lexden E14 - Day manned, 5 Urban Search & Rescue prime movers, 1 Search Dog van
* Loughton W72 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Maldon E46 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender, 1 Foam Tanker
* Manningtree E17 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Light Water Tender (Pinzgauer)
* Newport W84 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Old Harlow W82 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Ongar W71 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Orsett W55 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Rayleigh E48 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Rochford E49 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Saffron Walden W85 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Shoeburyness E42 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Sible Headingham W80 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* South Woodham Ferrers E32 - Day manned, 1 Rescue Pump
* Southend E30 - Wholetime, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender, 1 Aerial Ladder Platform
* Stansted W83 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Light Water Tender (Unimog)
* Thaxted W86 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Tillingham E44 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Tiptree E23 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Tollesbury E45 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Waltham Abbey W73 - Day manned, 1 Rescue Pump
* Weeley E19 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* West Mersea E22 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Wethersfield W79 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Wickford W69 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump
* Witham E25 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump, 1 Water Tender
* Wivenhoe E21 - Retained, 1 Rescue Pump

Urban Search and Rescue team

State-of-the-art equipment, multi-purpose vehicles, a sniffer dog and a purpose-built base staffed with a highly-trained and experienced team are the elements which comprise the County’s Urban Search and Rescue Team.

The USAR team is equipped to deal with incidents in which victims have become trapped in rubble of collapsed buildings, and major transport accidents. They will be able to locate and safely extract any trapped persons, or in the event of possible collapse can shore up unstable buildings so that firefighters can continue with rescue operations.

The USAR team are equipped with Prime Movers, specialist hooklift vehicles that can be loaded with one of five pods, depending on what situation the team are going to face. These pods include hose layers and high-volume pumps, technical rescue, timber for shoring unstable structures, and even a small multi-purpose vehicle which can access tight spaces, explore voids, and move heavy loads of debris.

But it is not all high-tech equipment; there is also a 'back to basics' approach offered by Darcy the search dog, who has been trained to sniff out trapped people.

Following the September 11th 2001 attacks on US cities, new risks were shown to the world for which rescue services would need to be better prepared, and the British government responded with the announcement that Urban Search & Rescue teams were to be established around the country. The Lexden base became the UK's first such facility.

ECFRS was chosen as one of the 17 strategically-suitable Services partly because it already had 14 officers trained in urban rescue - members of the UK Fire Service Safety & Rescue Team who were part of the rescue effort that was sent to Bam, Iran after it was hit by a devastating earthquake in December 2003 where they helped in the search for victims amongst the ruins of the ancient city.

Fatal Warwickshire warehouse fire 2007

ECFRS was one of a number of brigades to assist in urban search and rescue for three missing firefighters of the Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service following a large warehouse fire. The incident included the worst loss of life for 30 years in the UK, with four firefighters killed.

Oxfordshire floods 2007

ECFRS assisted in the emergency response to floods in Oxfordshire in 2007, where seven firefighters from the Swift Water Rescue team helped rescue victims trapped by the floods with a specialist fireboat.

Buncefield Oil Depot fire 2005

Essex was one of 16 brigades called in to attend the large oil depot fire near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in December 2005, the largest blaze ever in peacetime in the UK.Fire appliances from Orsett, Hadleigh, Harlow, and foam appliances from Grays, Maldon and Epping attended.

Brentwood pallet site fire 2006

20 fire engines descended on Great Warley Street in Brentwood on the evening of August 15th 2006 as a large pallet site went up in flames.

The first crews on scene were two pumps from Brentwood. They immediately requested further assistance and the Control Unit to attend. Ingatestone and Ongar crews were mobilised.

Over the next hour or so, additional appliances were called in from Grays, Canvey, Epping and two appliances each from Basildon and Orsett.

After one hour, a lack of water available near the site meant the Hose Layer had to be drafted in from Hadleigh, which then relayed supplies from as far away as the A127.As the fire spread and flames reached 100ft high, the officer in charge requested Aerial Ladder Platforms from Harlow and Chelmsford. Half an hour later the incident escalated to 'make pumps 15'. Extra crews were drafted in from the London Fire Brigade in the form of two appliances from Romford and one from Hornchurch. An all-terrain Pinzgauer responded from Billericay to assist in operations.

There were two diesel tanks on-site situated close to the initial burning pallets, but the quick action of firefighters prevented fire spreading there. There was also a shed containing paint and thinners which went up and there were a number of small explosions. At least one of a dozen articulated lorries in the yard was destroyed.

At its height, the blaze could be seen for five miles, and the A127 had to be completely closed. Two firefighters were injured while tackling the fire, and were treated by ambulance staff on scene.

After nine hours, the attendance was reduced to a three-pump relief, who remained at the scene for most of the following day.

Major incidents of note in 2008

*Fire at Ballards Gore Golf Club (8 pumps, 2 ALPs, HL, CU)On 11 October crews tackled a blaze in a golf club building which was 100% well alight and believed to have been started deliberately.

Eight fire engines and two aerial ladder platforms were sent to the scene, along with the hose layer to establish a reliable supply of water. Two hose reels, one monitor, four jets and two aerial water towers were used while crews also carried out salvage operations in the golf club and banqueting area.

*Fire in manufacturing unit, Harlow (6 pumps, 2 ALPs, RT, CU)Harlow crews were sent to a fire in a manufacturing unit on an industrial estate in the small hours of 10th October 2008. They used specialist cutting equipment on their Rescue Tender to gain access to the building.

Three hose reels and two aerial ladder platforms were used to prevent the fire spreading, while firefighters wearing breathing apparatus took five jets inside the unit to tackle the blaze.

On make-pumps six, the Control Unit responded also, and ECFRS's divisional officer and specialist petrochemical officer took over command. Gas engineers were requested to deal with damage to a main gas pipe involved in the fire.

* Blackmore scrapyard fire (9 pumps, FTkr, CU)Firefighters were mobilised to a scrapyard blaze on the evening of 26th August. The yard contained 100 tonnes of scrap vehicles and was well alight.

Local crews from Ongar, Ingatestone and two from Brentwood were initially sent to the scene, but additional crews were drafted in from Harlow, Great Baddow, and two from Chelmsford, to make pumps eight. Brentwood's Control Unit was then called in, and a ninth and final appliance from Epping, along with their Foam Tanker.

The fire was sectorised and crews used two main jets and one hose reel. Firefighters had the blaze all but extinguished after two hours, but spent a further two hours turning over and damping down.

* Basildon scrapyard fire (12 pumps, ALP, RT, FT, CU)Over 70 firefighters were involved in operations at a scrapyard fire in Basildon on 25th July 2008, with police crews also in attendance to man cordons for crowd control, and the electricity board to deal with power to external cables in the fireground.

Two fire engines from Basildon were first on scene, but immediately requested three more crews and an Aerial Ladder Platform.

Acetylene and LPG cylinders in the fireground were quickly removed and shortly afterward, the commanding officer requested the attendance of a Grays pump and their Rescue Tender and Foam Tender. The fire was initially sectorised to effectively manage the incident and bring flames under control quickly.

The service's water officer was also requested to maintain supplies of water to crews.

After one hour the attendance at the incident was escalated from six pumps to 10, and then to 12 half an hour later, with the service's Control Unit mobilised from Brentwood as well.

The scrapyard was surrounded by warehouse units on all sides, but thanks to the fast and effective work of fire crews these were saved from damage. A storage unit within the scrapyard was destroyed. Three jets, a monitor and a water tower on the ALP were used to contain the blaze. There were no casualties.

* Southend block of flats ablaze (9 pumps, 2 ALPs, CU)50 people were evacuated from a block of flats in Southend in the early hours of 25th July 2008, as fire broke out on a roof terrace. Initially, two fire engines and an Aerial Ladder Platform were mobilised from Southend, but on arrival the officer in charge requested four additional crews and a second ALP from Basildon; the Control Unit from Brentwood was mobilised also.

The four-storey building with a central rooftop maisonette was well alight, and residents evacuated. Shortly afterward, a further three appliances were requested, taking the number of firefighters involved in operations to 50. The council's emergency planning team also attended to assist the now-homeless evacuees.

It took crews two hours to bring the fire under control; there were no casualties. Firefighters used breathing apparatus to ensure all residents were evacuated and accounted for, and used one hose reel with the two ALPs putting water onto the building from either side, with two covering jets.

* Chelmsford industrial unit fire (12 pumps, ALP, CU)12 fire engines and an Aerial Ladder Platform were deployed to Widford Industrial Estate in Chelmsford on 2nd July as a packaging company's building caught fire.

Progress was made in the initial couple of hours by using three jets, a hose-reel and the ALP, with operations being directed from the Control Unit, while firefighters worked inside the building wearing breathing apparatus and being guided by a police helicopter with thermal imaging.

Firefighters successfully brought the blaze under control without it spreading to surrounding units.

* Vange scrapyard fire (6 pumps, HL, FT, CU)A large blaze broke out in a Vange scrapyard containing LPG cylinders and dozens of cars on the evening of 1st July 2008.

Six fire engines, the Hose Layer, the Control Unit, and the Foam Tender were on scene at the height of the fire, and crews used jets containing foam to fight it from the perimeter of a 200m exclusion zone, put in place due to the risk of explosions from accetylene cylinders.

The Electricity Board was requested also, due to the danger of overhead cables.

By the following morning the fire was being held under control, and later in the afternoon a four pump relief arrived to continue damping down and cooling the cylinders from afar.

* Rochford industrial mill fire (10 pumps, 2 ALPs, CU)Ten fire engines and two aerial ladder platforms attended a fire in an industrial mill in Rochford on the evening of 18th May 2008.The five-storey building, measuring 50m x 50m, was 100% well alight.

A thermal imaging camera from a police helicopter was used to establish if the fire had spread to surrounding buildings.

Using four main jets, four monitors and four light portable pumps, the fire was extinguished within 3½ hours.

Crews changed and the attendance was scaled down to six pumps and one ALP (from the London Fire Brigade) to allow thorough damping down of the site.

* Ongar office block fire (6 pumps, ALP, RT, HL, CU)On 25th April, fire crews were summoned to a fire in an unoccupied office block in Ongar. All three storeys of the building, measuring 20m x 20m and surrounded by scaffolding, were well alight.Six fire engines, an Aerial Ladder Platform, a Rescue Tender, the Control Unit, and the Hose Layer attended.

Six jets and the ALP were used to tackle the blaze, working from outside the building for safety.Because of the suspicious nature of the fire, and a similar incident in the area in previous weeks, a joint police and fire investigation was ordered to be carried out into the cause.

* Basildon house fires (7 pumps, ALP, CU)On 19th March 2008 crews were called to a house fire in Basildon. Upon arrival they reported the fire had spread to two other surrounding houses as well. The first floors and roofs of all three properties were well alight.

At the peak of the blaze, seven fire engines and an Aerial Ladder Platform were involved, and after three hours a 3-pump relief was ordered to take over with turning-over and damping-down.

The Red Cross victim support unit also attended to provide assistance to householders made homeless.

* Althorne barn fire (8 pumps, HL, LWrT)Eight fire engines were summoned to a large barn in rural Althorne containing motor oils and over 600 tonnes of bailed straw well alight.

After just 20 minutes on the scene the officer in charge requested the Hose Layer appliance from Hadleigh to respond to assist in getting additional water supplies to the fireground. It relayed supplies from an open pond, although this also diminished after a couple of hours. The Hose Layer proceeded to a hydrant over a mile away then drove back to the incident with the hose laying off the rear. An all-terrain Pinzgauer appliance from Burnham was also mobilised.

After five hours the number of crews were scaled down, although operations continued long into the following day, with a two-pump relief ordered after 15 hours.

Major incidents of note in 2007

* Eastwood warehouse fire (20 pumps, ALP, HL, CU)On 22 December 2007, 20 fire engines and over 100 firefighters tackled a fierce fire engulfing an electrical distribution warehouse in Eastwood.

Aerial Ladder Platforms and a Hose Layer were also used to assist in defensive firefighting operations.

Crews from Leigh fire station continued to make regular visits over Christmas to dampen down hot spots. Retail stock to the value of £3,000,000 was destroyed in what was initially thought to be an arson attack. A man in his 20s from Grays was arrested but then bailed.

* Navestock farm workshop fire (11 pumps, HL, CU)On 25 November 2007, 11 fire appliances responded to a large fire in a workshop building on a remote country farm near Brentwood.Initially, two fire engines from Brentwood and two from Romford (London Fire Brigade) were called to the incident, however crews struggled to contain the fire and were hampered by poor water supplies due to the remoteness of the workshop. The Hose Layer responded from Hadleigh, which connected to a fire hydrant nearly one mile away, then drove to the incident with the hose laying off the back.After 90 minutes, the officer in charge requested assistance from three more crews. Fire engines from Ingatestone, Ongar and Hornchurch (London Fire Brigade) responded. The ECFRS Control Unit also attended, and the country lane was closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles.A 200m exclusion zone was kept in place for 24 hours due to the presence of acetylene and propane cylinders which had to be cooled and made safe by relief crews from Loughton and Old Harlow.

* Coryton Oil Refinery fire (10 pumps, 2 ALPs, FT, FTkr, RT, HL, CU)On 31 October 2007, 17 fire appliances attended a fire at the oil refinery in Coryton where an explosion was reported which shook homes up to 14 miles away.

The refinery, owned by Swiss oil firm Petroplus who bought it from BP in May 2007, was immediately evacuated.

A major foam and water attack was initiated on a fire in a tower, with flames 100 feet high. The service's specialist petrochemical officer attended.Crews remained on scene for most of the day, but there were no casualties.

* Canvey recycling centre fire (8 pumps, ALP, HL, CU)On 19 September 2007, eight fire engines and an Aerial Ladder Platform attended a fire in a range of buildings 100% alight at a recycling centre in Canvey. After three hours, the officer in charge of the incident, reported that acetylene and LPG gas cylinders were involved. Hadleigh's Hose Layer lorry was called in to provide an enhanced water supply for operations, and the Control Unit from Brentwood also responded. After seven hours the fire was extinguished and five fire engines remained to dampen down.

* Brentwood plane crash (4 pumps, RT, FT)On 27 August 2007, a father and his daughter were killed in a light aircraft crash just yards from the M25 near Brentwood.

Two fire engines from Brentwood and four from Grays (including specialist Rescue and Foam tenders) rushed to the scene. The plane came down in a field of horses, and ambulances were also called to attend to the passengers onboard. The father and 3-year-old child died in the plane as it nosedived into the field shortly after takeoff for Kent. The child's mother crawled out of the wreckage and survived with only minor head and facial injuries.

* Harwich warehouse fire (15 pumps, 2 ALPs, CU)On 15 July 2007, 18 fire appliances and around 80 firefighters tackled a huge warehouse fire in Harwich. 15 fire engines and two Aerial Ladder Platforms responded, as well as the ECFRS Control Unit which travelled 60 miles from its base in Brentwood. The blaze took over 9 hours to extinguish and then required 30 firefighters and one of the ALPs to remain at the scene to dampen down and ensure there was no re-ignition.

* Purfleet warehouse fire (8 pumps, 2 ALPs, HL, CU)On 4 June 2007, 12 fire appliances were summoned to a disused warehouse well alight. Initially four fire engines were called, but upon arrival a further two were requested and the Hose Layer to assist in getting water to the fireground. An Aerial Ladder Platform and the Control Unit also attended. After two hours, a further two fire engines were ordered and an additional ALP. After seven hours the fire was controlled and three fresh crews were called in for relief.

* Chelmsford bus crash (4 pumps, USAR)On 1 June 2007, four fire engines and the specialist Urban Search & Rescue team were called to a bus crash which had caused a five-storey scaffolding tower to become structurally unsafe. The bus driver and other people were cut free and left in the care of paramedics and after the scaffolding was made safe the incident was left in the hands of the police and the road reopened after six hours.

* Orsett Hall fire (9 pumps, 2 ALPs, CU)On 11-12 May 2007, a large fire broke out in Orsett Hall. Nine fire engines and two aerial ladder platforms were called. At the height of the incident, around 60 firefighters were involved. The building suffered irreparable damage and collapsed. It was a Grade 2 listed building which used to be a hotel and restaurant, popular for wedding receptions, set in 12 acres of grounds.

An extensive investigation into the cause of the fire which was published in September 2007 concluded that the blaze had started in the kitchen caused by wooden beams, exposed for several years to heat from a grill, often for as long as 16 hours a day which had turned them to charcoal causing them to eventually combust. The fire then quickly spread to the numerous voids in the building.

* Southend Airport plane crash (8 pumps, RT, FT)On 24 March 2007, eight fire engines, a Rescue Tender and Foam Tender attended a plane crash at Southend Airport with seven passengers onboard the aircraft. All ten appliances were waiting on the runway when the plane landed with its front landing gear collapsed. The fire engines followed the plane down the runway as it skidded on its nose. All the passengers were unharmed and there was no fuel leak, meaning the crews could leave the incident in the hands of the airport fire brigade.

* Halstead factory fire (10 pumps, ALP, RT, CU)On 25 February 2007, 10 fire engines, a Rescue Tender, an Aerial Ladder Platform and the ECFRS Control Unit responded to a large fire in a factory unit containing plastic container lids. Crews required breathing apparatus to gain access to the building which was 100% smoke logged and 50% alight. It took around nine hours to contain and extinguish.

* M25 tunnel crash (7 pumps)On 6 February 2007, a prison van was involved in a road traffic collision with a lorry, in the Holmesdale tunnel between junction 26-25 of the M25. Three fire engines from Essex, and four from Hertfordshire attended. The driver of the prison van was trapped, and two other persons involved required medical attention.

* Purfleet warehouse fire (7 pumps, FT, CU)On 25 January, seven fire engines and the Foam Tender were required to a fire in the basement of a disused warehouse in Purfleet. Crews were unable to enter the warehouse so high expansion foam was used to fill the space and extinguish the fire. The foam was pumped into the basement from the Foam Tender vehicle using a special fan and once inside expanded up to 14,000 times its original size to fill the entire space and suffocate any flames. After 13 hours, the last remaining crews left the scene.

* Stansted house fire (9 pumps, RT)On 17 January 2007, the brigade were called to a fire in a large house under construction near Stansted. Nine fire engines and a Rescue tender responded to the unoccupied house, which was 100% alight. The size of the mobilisation meant 50 firefighters were able to bring the fire under control after one hour.

* Leigh tyre depot fire (6 pumps, ALP, RT, FT)On 1 January 2007, firefighters were deployed to a large amount of tyres on fire in a depot in West Leigh. Six fire engines, a Rescue tender, an Aerial Ladder Platform, and the Bulk Foam Tender were used to bring the fire under control.

See also

* Fire Service in the United Kingdom
* Orsett Hall Fire

References

External links

* [http://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/ Official site]
* [http://www.ecfrs.co.uk/ Unoffical Essex Fire & Rescue site]