New figures have revealed that fire crews across Essex have been significantly and consistently understaffed with nearly a sixth of all shifts last year having fewer than the minimum recommended number of firefighters.

A freedom of information request made and reported by ITV Anglia revealed that in 2014, when county firefighters responded to over 14,000 emergencies, fire crews were understaffed on 16% of occasions, raising concerns over the safety of the public and firefighters.

Written by The Fire Brigades Union. You can read the full story here. 

Matthew Burgess
http://www.mattburgess.co
I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.