Firefighter and member of the public commended for lifesaving actions

A firefighter from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and a member of the public have received commendations for life saving actions. 

Station Manager Syd Barrett and Scott Ellis, who works at Stansted Airport, received Chief Fire Officer commendations for their actions at a road traffic collision in August 2021. 

Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Rick Hylton awarded the commendations for their quick thinking and life saving actions. The award is one of the highest accolades a Chief Fire Officer can give to recognise those who go above and beyond. 

Syd - who was off-duty at the time - and Scott were first on scene to a serious road traffic collision on the M25 near Waltham Abbey on 23 August 2021.

The pair are friends and had been driving with their children to watch West Ham United when they heard a loud bang and felt what seemed like an explosion. 

A lorry, a minibus and a car had collided and there were multiple casualties. 

They both immediately stopped on the hard shoulder to help those who had been injured. 

Syd used his first aid skills to triage the casualties before the emergency services arrived. Scott, who works for DHL at Stansted Airport, had never been involved in an emergency response of this kind before. Both men acted quickly to give first aid to the casualties.

Sadly, three people died at the scene and a fourth person passed away in hospital a week later. 

Station Manager Richie Green, who was the Incident Commander at the scene, said: “The incident was highly stressful and challenging for those on the ground from all emergency services. 

“When I arrived, I knew it was going to be a difficult and highly complex situation – and Control mentioned over the radio that an off-duty officer was on scene. 

“Syd and Scott should be proud of their achievements on that tragic day – they made a genuine difference and did their best to help others in their time of need.”