Safeguarding Fire Standard

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is leading the way when it comes to protecting communities.

In the last three years Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has completed 2,394 safeguarding referrals ensuring that potentially vulnerable people are kept safe from harm.

The Service’s own Head of Safeguarding Donna Bentley MBE is now leading on this work nationally, as the National Fire Chief’s Council’s Strategic Lead for Safeguarding. To share Essex’s good practice, a short, animated film has been produced for the Fire Standards Board that highlights that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

You can watch it here:

The Safeguarding Fire Standard aims to ensure that fire and rescue services are doing all that they can to protect their communities, colleagues and volunteers.  

Donna said: "Safeguarding is at the root of our work in prevention, protection and response. We want services to promote the safeguarding of those in their communities, as well as colleagues and volunteers, reducing the risk of abuse, harm and neglect.

“Our Service is a really good example of how training and awareness has made sure that risk of harm has been mitigated in our communities.

"About 10 years ago, on average, our Service would make half a dozen safeguarding referrals a year. In the last three years we've completed 2,394 safeguarding referrals. These have come from crews, prevention and protection colleagues and other key partners.

"Our communities have had the imminent risk of significant harm mitigated by our teams.”

Rick Hylton, Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This is another important Standard for fire and rescue services to follow. Our priority is to keep people safe and the work we can do to support our communities and of course our own people is at the heart of everything we do.

“I’m really proud of our work in this area and that our Essex expertise is helping our colleagues across the country keep people safe.”