Firefighters rescuing more animals from height

Firefighters were spending more time rescuing animals from height, and advised the public not to do it themselves.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spent 86 hours in 2025-26, compared with only 37 hours in 2021-22, according to data obtained by the BBC.

Ex-firefighter Jordan Bailey, 33, said he used to rescue cats from trees while off duty, after being told it was too risky to do so while on the job. He said it was "great" that the service was getting more involved.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said there had been "no change" in policy that would explain the stats. However, it would encourage the public not to risk their lives and allow the animal to find "their own way to safety".

Bailey, a heating engineer from Rochford, said there is truth in letting animals find their own way down, but said cats and other animals were usually better at climbing up than finding their way to the floor.

He owns several cats himself, many of which find themselves stuck up trees, and he is often answering calls from neighbours to come and save theirs.

He said: "Every time was dangerous. Very dangerous. Especially when the cats climb to the top of the tree, then it gets even thinner, and obviously I'm 15 stone, so the higher you go, the thinner the branches get, the more wobbly it gets, and the wind picks up, etc."

Bailey and his friend recently went to Ukraine to rescue "hundreds" of animals from the warzone.

"Not high spaces, but obviously there's drones flying in the sky above you, so I suppose that's more dangerous than climbing a tree," he said.

The fire service said it could not identify any policy changes or reason for the increase in rescues.

It said it took into account the welfare of the animal and safety issues before deciding how best to respond.

A spokesperson said: "While these incidents can be distressing, our experience is that many animals will find their own way to safety if given time and space. In many cases, the safest option is simply to give the animal time.

"Where appropriate, leaving food and water nearby can help encourage it to return when it feels safe to do so.

"As with all incidents, our focus is on preventing harm and keeping people safe."

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