UK wildfires expose ‘postcode lottery' of firefighting resources, says union

The Guardian

18-04-2025

Wildfires across the UK during hot, dry springs and summers have exposed a 'postcode lottery' of firefighting resources that must be addressed, the head of the Fire Brigades Union has said.
Steve Wright, the general secretary, said public safety was at risk, and called for a statutory body to ensure that each fire and rescue service had enough staff and appliances.
Data shows there were 286 wildfires between 1 January and 4 April 2025 – more than 100 above the number recorded in the same period in 2022, a year of record-breaking temperatures and unprecedented wildfire activity.
The UK could be on track for its worst year on record for wildfires. Since 1 January, an area of more than 95 sq miles (24,600 hectares) has been scorched, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
The Met Office said the fires were the result of dry and breezy conditions in spring, fuelled by plant growth during a damp winter. Scientists have said climate breakdown is increasing the risk of wildfires across the world.
Union representatives in Northern Ireland suggest countryside wildfires have taken firefighters away from Belfast and Derry, putting the public at risk. Two years ago, officials had to take a fire appliance from a museum in Norfolk to tackle a wildfire there, Wright said.
Last week, wildfires raged around the Mourne mountains above the seaside town of Newcastle, County Down. In Scotland, smoke from a blaze near Inverkip in Inverclyde drifted over Greenock on Monday.
A spell of dry and warm weather is creating the perfect conditions for wildfires across the UK. The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said the UK recorded less than half the average rainfall for March, and that river flows were below normal across much of the country, with some rivers having had the lowest average March flows on record.
There were also record March lows for groundwater in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and soils were drier than average in all areas apart from the Western Isles and Shetland.
The centre said: 'The prolonged dry spell and above-average temperatures have led to a higher-than-usual frequency of wildfires for the time of year and concerns for agriculture at the start of the growing season.
'With settled weather continuing into early April and little appreciable rainfall, the outlook is for below-normal river flows for most areas over the next three months. A continuation of the dry conditions in the north and west, particularly this early in the year, would cause concern regarding water resources over coming months.'
Wright said: 'We're calling for a statutory body to actually set national standards, because we've seen a fragmentation of standards under successive Conservative governments. Services are putting out fires but we need to ensure that we have enough firefighters and fire engines for everyday incidents. It's become a postcode lottery across the UK.
'An official in Northern Ireland said the resources that were thrown at these wildfires meant that in places such as Belfast and Derry, there was little fire cover, it was really having an impact. It should not have to take a major incident for politicians to actually understand what the impact this will have,' he said.
Fire and rescue services do not receive any dedicated or protected funding for wildfire response. The costs of preparing for wildfires, and tackling the significant increase, are absorbed through core budgets, which are already under strain.