KFRS Urges People To Do Their Bit To Prevent Devastating Grass Fires

Grass, crop, and woodland fires can have a devastating impact, injuring or killing wildlife, destroying property and livelihoods, and even putting people’s lives at risk. As users enter peak season for these types of incidents, residents, workers, and visitors are being urged to do their bit to reduce the number of accidental grass fires across the county.

Most grass fires happen between May and September when grassland can get very dry, and many are caused by out-of-control bonfires, as well as careless disposal of hot smoking materials, and disposable barbecues.

accidental grass fire prevention campaign

In a bid to crack down on these largely avoidable types of incidents and make the county safer for everyone, KFRS has launched an accidental grass fire prevention campaign, which will educate the public about what they can do to help and stay safe.

Colin King, KFRS’ Assistant Director for Customer Engagement and Safety, said, “In 2020 our crews responded to 617 accidental grass fires, many of which were preventable."

Prevention of fires 

These types of incidents can have devastating consequences, therefore everyone must play their part"

Colin King adds, “Grass, crop, and woodland fires have the potential to take hold and spread rapidly, especially in warmer months when grassland can be very dry, 83% of last year’s accidental grass fires happened between May and September."

He continues, “These types of incidents can have devastating consequences, therefore everyone living, visiting, and working in the county must play their part in preventing them from happening in the first place something we hope this campaign will help to achieve.”

Campaign highlights 

The campaign will highlight simple things people can do to avoid accidentally starting grass fires, and as a result protect themselves, the local community, property, and wildlife, such as:

• When lighting a bonfire, keep it to a manageable size, make sure it’s well clear of greenery and property, and always supervise it while it’s burning. Avoid having a bonfire in windy weather.
• Dispose of smoking materials responsibly, making sure they’re fully stubbed out and cooled before being put in a bin - consider using a portable ashtray when on the go. Place disposable barbecues on a sturdy, non-flammable surface when cooking, away from greenery and property, and only place them in a bin once fully cool. 

Working with the public

Colin King stated, “Grass fires often require a large amount of fire service resources and can take hours, days, or even weeks in complex cases, to fully extinguish."

He adds, "This campaign is all about working together with the public to drive the number of accidental grass fires down, keeping people safe, and freeing up our crews to respond to other, less-preventable emergencies."

Move to a safe place during a fire 

Colin King concludes, “While everyone can play their part in this, inevitably, grass fires will still occur and we advise people not to try and tackle grass fires, or any fire, themselves instead to move to a safe place and call 999. We will always be here to respond when people need us.”