Customer Stories
Punching above their weight: How Essex County Fire and Resecue conquered TikTok
Proving that saving lives and having a sense of humour can build a fiercely loyal digital audience.
Tasked with keeping 1.88 million residents safe across 1,400 square miles of towns, cities, countryside and coastline, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s (ECFRS) crew and staff work hard to prevent emergencies, protect what matters most, and be there when they are needed – keeping Essex safer together.
The challenge
Emergency services have historically struggled to reach younger demographics through traditional communication channels. Operating as a regional fire service, ECFRS needed to capture attention and compete against central government departments and massive police forces, all without Whitehall-sized marketing budgets or high-spec production equipment.
Whether it’s poking fun at day to day station life, contrasting firefighter expectations with reality, or using viral audio formats to land a safety tip, the content needed to lean into prevention over intervention.
Targeting the younger demographic using TikTok, and taking a bold approach as a public sector organisation, brought about internal challenges – both in approach and attitude. The communications team faced initial pushback from operational firefighters who were sceptical about TikTok as a channel, questioning what dancing or joking around had to do with frontline firefighting, and whether the approach was truly professional.
The solution
To overcome the challenges, Community Engagement and Campaigns Manager, Chloe Culling, and Marketing Communications Officer, Emilija Juseviciute, implemented a straightforward strategy; ditching the overly corporate tone and instead being unapologetically authentic.
The team leaned into trending audio, cultural and viral moments, and relatable workplace humour to speak the native language of TikTok, tailoring their content to the algorithm and ensuring their content felt human and authentic.
The team used creative humour to grab audience attention, then direct their attention towards serious risks, targeting younger audiences who rarely engage with the organisation via other channels.
Importantly, ECFRS treated TikTok as a dedicated channel, rather than simply recycling Facebook graphics or cropping Instagram reels. They committed to posting at least once a week, ensuring all content was filmed vertically and crafted specifically for the pacing and expectations of the TikTok audience.
Essex County’s TikTok strategy:
- Treat TikTok as its own dedicated channel
- Consistency over sheer volume
- Approachability drives public trust
The results
This fresh approach broke down barriers and humanised the emergency responders, driving immense organic reach that consistently outshines massive national accounts. To help combat any initial hesitancy when the campaign went live, the team published an article on their internal intranet about the strategy for staff to read, backed up with the numbers of how well the content was performing, and to showcase that it was having a positive impact on their intended audience. The comms team also had the full backing of their Chief, who, when questioned on TikTok, was fully behind the approach.
Internally, the culture completely shifted once crews saw the genuine public warmth, intrigue, and respect in the comments section. Initial sceptics transformed into enthusiastic participants who now actively pitch ideas and ask to be featured in upcoming clips.
And ECFRS isn’t just reaching existing followers on TikTok. Their videos routinely reach vast audiences to educate, entertain, and protect, generating nearly 8 million views across 82 posts.
Most importantly, the engaging, memorable and shareable content has driven real world, life saving behaviour change. By delivering vital seasonal messaging about cold water shock and the dangers of open water swimming during the summer heatwave, this prevention messaging reached the demographic most at risk.
The true value of their TikTok strategy was proven when a young follower commented that a 30 second TikTok video prompted them to have their parents test and replace the smoke alarms in their home.
For regional blue light services wondering whether short form video is worth the investment, Essex County Fire and Rescue has demonstrated what’s possible. With the confidence to meet audiences where they are, a small regional service can comfortably outshine the biggest national accounts in the country.
Reach
7.8 million
organic views over 12 months
Reach
11k
average views per post
Reach
82
organic TikTok posts over 12 months
Engagement
13.8k
engaged followers
”
TikTok allows us to reach people we might not otherwise reach through traditional channels, particularly younger audiences. We knew we had to try something different and show the human side of our service. Being professional doesn’t mean we have to be serious all the time, and showing the personalities behind the uniform helps people connect with our crews in a different way.
Seeing the positive response from the public has also helped our own people understand the value of what we’re doing. Ultimately, we want to meet people where they are, speak their language and make fire safety something they actually want to engage with.”
Chloe Culling, Community Engagement and Campaigns Manager at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
