Fire & Police Join Forces to Boost School Safety in Essex!
Essex schools are getting a safety shake-up thanks to a power-pact between Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) and Essex Police. Since 2016, fire and police officers have teamed up to deliver crucial safety messages straight to school kids across the county.
One Team, One Mission: Protecting Kids
The fire service’s Education Team has been hitting schools with joint talks since 2017. They cover everything from fire safety to cyber security, home security, road safety, and healthy relationships. The result? 200,000 local children reached last year alone.
Jo Turton, Chief Fire Officer & Chief Executive, said: “Our schools team has been in place for more than ten years, and last year we reached 200,000 school children. In 2017 we expanded our education programme to include information about the importance of home security as well as information about the risk of fire in your home.
“This is an excellent example of collaboration between our fire service and Essex Police. By working together and sharing resources in this way we are able to make both our organisations more efficient. This ultimately means a better service for school children and better value for the public.”
New Uniform, New Look, Same Strong Message
To highlight their partnership, the eight education officers now sport a fresh uniform featuring both the ECFRS and Essex Police crests. It’s a visual symbol of unity in their mission to keep Essex kids safe.
Dan Bailey, ECFRS Education Coordinator, said: “Since working with Essex Police and delivering joint safety messages we have had a fantastic response from schools. They have engaged fully with our programmes and the children have benefitted greatly from topics such as cyber safety, healthy relationships, road safety, home security and fire safety.”
Chief Supt Carl O’Malley added: “Our joint education team can only benefit young people in Essex. Working with our colleagues at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has enabled us to deliver vital safety messages to thousands of school children on ever important subjects like cyber and knife crime. This is a really important piece of work and our team will continue to visit schools to spread these messages and many others to young people in our county.”
Keeping Essex’s Kids Safe – Together
By teaming up, Essex Police and ECFRS are proving that when it comes to protecting kids, two forces really are better than one. More safety, more impact, and more peace of mind for parents and communities across Essex.
