Oxfordshire County Council: Firefighters’ ‘exhausted’ summer
This summer, the county has seen devastating fires at farms, a school, landfill site and forest while under drought conditions and experiencing record-breaking heat.
An Oxfordshire union leader has described firefighters’ physical and mental exhaustion amid “unprecedented” and “relentless” blazes.
Lee Newport, acting chair of the Oxfordshire Fire Brigade Union based at the station in Didcot, has called for support, describing this summer as a “crisis point”.
He said: “I cannot emphasise enough how busy it has been in Oxfordshire.”
“We are at a crisis point now in this country.”
Mr Newport said he has never experienced anything like this summer’s blazes in his 22 years in the fire service, saying “this is unprecedented”.
He described going to a call-out, coming back and servicing kit, only to be called out again, saying the fires are “relentless,” citing Goring Heath, Blewbury Farm, and Greenways Landfill blazes as just some of those that have seen crews called out from his station.
The union is calling for government funding for wildfire-specific protective equipment (PPE) and gear.
Mr Newport explained the kit that firefighters are using now is not designed for the continuous nature of wildfire and field blazes.
He said: “We just need support.
“It is just physically and mentally exhausting.”
The general secretary of the union, Steve Wright, has also served across Oxfordshire.
He has been speaking out on the situation, which he is calling a “national emergency”, and has received government confirmation that there will be a national wildfire summit.
Mr Wright explained how fire services have had to pool resources, saying 5,000 more firefighters are needed.
Last month, Oxfordshire fire crews were sent to Suffolk to help with a “major wildfire incident” there.
Previously, a spokesperson for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We have crews and resources in place to provide emergency response across Oxfordshire.”
Oxford East MP, Anneliese Dodds (Labour) said: “This spring and summer’s sustained, record-breaking hot temperatures have only underlined how the climate crisis is already affecting us here in the UK.
“Our brave firefighters and other emergency workers have been at the sharp end of trying to protect people from the very worst impact.”
She said she will “continue to push for action”.
Green county councillors Robin Jones and James Barlow wrote to the Oxfordshire chief fire officer and his deputies thanking them and their crews for their “exceptional help given to the many people struggling with the frightening impacts of the recent extreme heat and drought”.
In a letter, they described “fear” for the priority calls which have to be during the blazes.
Mr Jones said: “We felt we needed to acknowledge the strain and risks that our dedicated fire and rescue services face on a regular basis now due to the increasing impacts of climate change.
“It’s clear that in the future we are going to have to make additional resources available not only to increase resilience in the face of these regular climate change events but also to support those at the front line who are going to have to deal with them.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which is responsible for fire said: ““Procurement of uniforms and PPE is the responsibility of individual fire and rescue authorities.
“We’re investing nearly £100 million to tackle wildfires in the biggest upgrade to national resilience in almost twenty years – including specialist equipment and wildfire training for firefighters.”