FIREFIGHTERS in Essex have been supporting the NHS by becoming temporary ambulance drivers.

A total of 19 on-call firefighters in the county have helped provide the East of England Ambulance Service with an extra 40 ambulances in the last week.

Each one has been driving alongside a paramedic and between them, they have completed 50 shifts in the last seven days.

The fire service has been lending support to the NHS during the coronavirus crisis and is expected to continue offering up drivers in the coming weeks.

Chief fire officer Jo Turton said: "I could not be prouder of our people - we saw about 90 colleagues come forward to volunteer to support our NHS colleagues.

"Even in these times of uncertainty, the one thing that never changes is their commitment and passion for helping others in need.

"It's an excellent example of partnership working - we are one of the first fire and rescue services in the country to be pressing on with this initiative.

"And of course, it goes without saying that while this activity is taking place, we'll always maintain our core functionality as a fire and rescue service."

Marcus Bailey, EEAST's chief operating officer, added: "We are very grateful to our blue light colleagues in the fire and rescue service for their work and have enjoyed working closely with them to keep our patients, staff, volunteers and the wider public safe during this pandemic.

"Covid 19 represents an unprecedented challenge for all of us and we truly appreciate the fantastic support we have received from the fire service, the public, businesses and our other partners."