Fields of fire

Unite members working in agriculture have backed a call by fire fighters for improved resources to tackle the increasing number of wildfires flaring up across the UK, as the countryside swelters under successive heatwaves. 

Following two major wildfire incidents this week, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) highlighted the dangers that the funding crisis for the fire service will have on its ability to protect the public, and workers, in rural areas.

The FBU issued a warning that UK fire services do not have the resources to keep the public safe.

Just this week a major incident was declared at a wildfire in Holt Health, Dorset, while firefighters in Edinburgh also tackled a wildfire on Arthur’s Seat.

With temperatures rising through the week, the FBU stated that fire and rescue services are likely to face an increase in incidents, but funding cuts have left them without enough crews and resources.

Firefighters were drawn from five neighbouring services to assist Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service in fighting the Holt Heath blaze, leaving the region without adequate fire cover.

Dorset and Wiltshire is now operating with under 30 of 74 fire engines available, triggering an emergency policy that means fewer appliances are mobilised initially to incidents.

Neighbouring services impacted include Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, where firefighters are currently campaigning against a further £1.6 million cut to the service.

The service sent a message to firefighters in Hampshire and Isle of Wight this weekend raising the alert that only 23 of 80 fire engines were available across the county.

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright said: “Wildfires are intensive and dangerous incidents, requiring large numbers of firefighters and specialist equipment and resources. 

“This weekend, we have seen firefighters in both Dorset and Edinburgh working in extremely challenging conditions to keep blazes under control.

“These incidents are on the rise as a result of the climate emergency and, as the last 24 hours have shown, they are happening in areas across the UK. But after over a decade of budget cuts, with 1 in 5 firefighter posts axed, fire and rescue services do not have the resources to cope.

“To protect the public, the government must provide the investment needed to address this crisis and rebuild resilience.”

Unite members have backed this call, and, regarding the impact that wildfires can have in relation to farming, agricultural worker and Unite member Steve Leniac said, “Harvest has always been a high risk time for wildfires.

“A combine harvester operating at full power in fields full of tinder dry straw in extreme heat. It only takes one bearing to overheat or dust and straw to accumulate on the exhaust, the result can be hundreds of acres lost and a harvester costing £500k burnt out.”

Sadly fires are not always the result of accidents and Steve pointed out that “Huge stacks of straw bales are a favourite target for arsonists.”

Steve added that a full-funded fire service is vital to the countryside, saying, “Rural firecrews play a crucial role in containing fires which could, if left unchecked, sweep across thousands of acres of our countryside, doing untold damage to wildlife and blighting rural communities.”

Unite National Officer for Food, Drink & Agriculture Paul Travers added, “We need to have a properly funded and staffed fire service, and as the climate heats up resulting in more wildfires it is increasingly important.

“Wildfires do not only devastate farmland and the countryside, but can have a terrible impact on residential areas bordering these areas.

“In the areas of Dagenham and Wennington, quite a few houses were devastated by wildfires in July 2022, and recently we have seen over 120 firefighters fight a wildfire in Dagenham drawing vital firefighting resources from local areas and Essex.”

FBU executive council member for the Southern region Val Hampshire said: “The major incident at Holt Heath in Dorset has revealed the severity of the crisis that fire and rescue services face due to underfunding.”

Val pointed out that crews of firefighters travelled across the entire region to assist, leaving large areas without fire cover and thousands of residents without fire engines available to respond to calls – and cuts mean fewer firefighters, covering larger areas in smaller crews. 

Unite supports the FBU call on the government to provide the funding fire and rescue services desperately need.

By Keith Hatch