North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has come up with a raft of more than 20 recommendations to improve its response, preparedness and resilience to wildfire as a direct result of moors fires which burned near Whitby throughout last summer.
The Langdale/Fylingdales Moor Wildfire Major Incident Debrief was published yesterday by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS).
The lengthy list for recommendations refer to the need to review wildfire planning assumptions, fuel loads, access to moorland and water sources; strengthen training on wildfire competence; consider wildfire specific PPE; to develop a pre-planned rota and staffing model for prolonged incidents as well as food, welfare and support arrangements for crews involved; improve availability of wildfire risk data; and better communicate information, warnings and manage mis-information with the public.
In total there are 21 recommendations, some of which will be applicable to other fire and rescue services across the country in being better prepared for the wildfire risk, which is increasing in the UK.
Opening the report, Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Dyson said: “This report offers a clear and objective assessment of our response. It identifies effective practice, while also setting out areas for improvement.
“This reflects our commitment to transparency, accountability and continuous organisational learning. While the response was effective, incidents of this nature reinforce the need to continually strengthen our preparedness, interoperability and coordination.
“We will ensure that learning is not only identified, but embedded, translating into practical, sustained improvements in how we plan for and respond to complex, protracted incidents.”
The report goes on to say there will be a structured improvement programme, and each recommendation and associated action will be allocated to a named Senior Responsible Owner (SRO). They will be accountable for making sure actions are progressed and outcomes delivered.
The blaze, which charred more than ten square miles of moorland near Sneaton, was the largest ever wildfire in the recorded history of the North York Moors National Park.
NYFRS says it was one of the most significant incidents it has ever faced. The fire-fighting effort required invaluable help from farmers and game-keepers as well as fire crews who were drafted in from around the country.
As well as tackling the wildfire in extremely hot summer weather, fire-fighters, farmers and game-keepers faced both exploded and unexploded ordnance left from a military training camp on the moors which operated in the 1940s and 1950s.
The issue of PPE is raised in the report as standard issue PPE is not suitable for prolonged use in high temperatures like those experienced last summer. During the fire, crews had to make their own adaptations which put them at “increased exposure to heat, smoke, debris and ultra violet radiation”, the report says.
Land management practices are also called into question with the report saying, “the presence of large volumes of continuous vegetation fuel and very few natural barriers meant the fire spread more quickly and covered a much larger area.”
It is suggested fire-fighters develop skills in back-burning, a method of controlled burning used on moors to reduce vegetation and fuel load. However, while the moors fire was still being fought, Defra approved proposals to reduce the scope for controlled burning, saying it would protect both the environment and public health, despite warnings from experts.
NYFRS repeats in its de-brief report, land management is vital to addressing wildfire risk and behaviour and, in the case of Langdale and Fylingdales, vegetation such as grass and heather sped up the movement of the fire.
The report said: “These risks are particularly relevant in North Yorkshire, given the scale of its moorland, peatland and National Park environments, including the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales. These landscapes contain large areas of continuous fuel, often in remote locations with limited access, increasing both the likelihood of wildfire and the potential for rapid and sustained fire spread.”
It goes on to say: “The incident reinforced the importance of the National Fire Chiefs Council “NFCC) Wildfires Position Statement11, which identifies wildfires as a growing national resilience risk and emphasises land management, fuel reduction, partnership working and shared responsibility as critical to prevention, preparedness, response and long-term resilience.”
The fire service has called for landowners and environmental agencies to also be involved in being resilient to wildfires as it can’t be done by the fire service alone.
In its report conclusion, a spokesperson for NYFRS added: “The Fylingdales Moor wildfire represents one of the most significant and complex wildfire incidents managed by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“It required a sustained, coordinated and adaptable multi-agency response under challenging environmental, geographic and operational conditions.
“Despite this complexity, the overall outcome was positive. There was no loss of life, no serious injury, and critical national infrastructure, communities and property were protected.
“Wildfires are becoming more frequent, more complex and more demanding, influenced by climate, land conditions and fuel continuity.
“Wildfire risk must be understood and managed as a shared system responsibility. Effective mitigation and future resilience will depend on continued collaboration between Fire and Rescue Services, landowners, environmental partners and the wider Local Resilience Forum.”
