The MP for Whitby and Scarborough has set up a new parliamentary group to look into wildfires in the aftermath of last summer’s fires on the moors.
Alison Hume and other local politicians have given their verdicts on the way the Langdale and Fylingdales Moors fires were dealt with following the publication of a full de-brief report by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS).
The report set out 21 recommendations for the fire service to take to change and improve its position on tackling wildfires in the region.
She said the new All Party Parliamentary Group for wildfires will call for evidence on matters such as controlled burning policy, resilience and public health.
Ms Hume said “the stakes could not have been higher” as the fire burned ten square miles of moorland and was heading towards RAF Fylingdales, which serves as a ballistic missile early warning system for the UK and the US, as well as playing a vital role in Space Command.
Referring to the work of fire crews, farmers, gamekeepers and volunteers, Ms Hume said it was a fire which “demanded courage”. However, she added, that bravery needs to be met with action from those in authority.
Ms Hume said: “The Local Resilience Forum (LRF) and NYFRS reports set out clear recommendations, and they must be delivered in full. Stronger partnerships will ensure a faster, sharper and better coordinated response if there is a repeat incident.
“As a parliamentarian, I am setting-up a brand new All Party Parliamentary Group on wildfires to call for evidence on matters such as controlled burning policy, resilience and public health.”
She demanded the hotline she called for three times last summer to pass information about evacuation to panicked residents to actually happen in future incidents, and added she will continue to campaign for a grant framework which compensates farmers and businesses affected by wildfires, like the one for floods.
Ms Hume added: “I look forward to working with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, NYFRS, other stakeholders and the public to ensure when the next wildfire happens, as it inevitably will, we can meet it having learnt the lessons of last summer.”
Meanwhile, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and his deputy have said “goodwill” can’t be relied upon as incidents on the scale of the Fylingdales Moor “can no longer be treated as rare or exceptional”.
Mayor David Skaith and Jo Coles, deputy mayor for policing, fire and crime said: “The lessons from this incident are clear, we need stronger resilience, better coordination and a more robust approach to preventing, responding to and recovering from major wildfires.”
They have asked the Local Resilience Forum – a partnership which brings together organisations when there is a major incident or emergency – for more information on a number of issues.
They are whether it will consider escalating decision making, ensuring fire-fighting resources are available and quickly, having an automatic resilience plan when fire is near national infrastructure, making recommendations about the public health impact of wild fires, maintaining limited road access instead of a blanket closure and to have co-ordinated communications to ensure there is a trusted source of information for the public.
It has been confirmed that the fire which burned across the North York Moors for months was started by a camp fire to cook food.
While it wasn’t a disposable barbecue, Mr Skaith said they pose a clear risk and is calling for them to be banned.
He and Ms Coles have written to local supermarkets asking them not to sell them.
Mr Skaith added: “I’m pleased that some have responded positively, but right now you can still pick one up in supermarkets just minutes’ drive from our precious countryside. It’s time to ban disposable barbecues and take action to protect our most precious natural assets.”
