Wildfires - News

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is strengthening moorland firefighting resources thanks to a generous contribution from Yorkshire Water. The utility company has given £50,000 towards the procurement of new all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), which will enhance the current wildfire fleet allowing our firefighters to access hard-to-reach areas such as moorland. WYFR’s ‘Be Moor Aware’ campaign Yorkshire Water has been a key supporter of WYFR’s ‘Be Moor...

Preparing for all fire exposures, not picking and choosing only one, is vital for improving the home and building survival chances. What the community needs to know Wildfires spread primarily by: Ember generation and deposition. Burning or smoldering pieces of material generated during a wildfire event can land on combustible material. Radiant heat. The heat from the fire raises the temperature of a combustible material until that material reaches ignition temperature and burns....

Community members and business owners must understand the importance of protecting their structures from ember and fire exposures (radiant, conductive, and convective heat). Preparing for all fire exposures, not picking and choosing only one, is vital for improving home and building survival chances. Information for the community Wildfires spread primarily by: Ember generation and deposition: Burning or smoldering pieces of material generated during a wildfire event can land on combustible...

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), in partnership with Pierce Manufacturing Inc., announced the 2022 IAFC Fire Chief of the Year honorees. Volunteer Fire Chief, Marshall Turbeville, of the Northern Sonoma FPD in Sonoma County, California, and career Fire Chief, Gary Ludwig, of the Champaign Fire Department in Champaign, Illinois, have been named this year’s honorees. The IAFC began recognizing one volunteer and one career Fire Chief of the Year in 1996. A selection commi...

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), in partnership with Pierce Manufacturing Inc., announced the 2022 IAFC Fire Chief of the Year honorees. Volunteer Fire Chief, Marshall Turbeville, of the Northern Sonoma FPD in Sonoma County, California, and career Fire Chief, Gary Ludwig, of the Champaign Fire Department in Champaign, Illinois, have been named this year’s honorees. The IAFC began recognizing one volunteer and one career Fire Chief of the Year in 1996. A selec...

MSA Safety, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. This annual program, which began in 2012, has to date provided 611 sets of turnout gear to 134 departments. turnout gear and helmets In 2022, 13 departments will receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets each to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applic...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Four Corners Fire burning in Idaho.  The state of Idaho’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn on Friday, August 19, 2022, at 2:02 a.m. PT. He determined that the Four Corners Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. This is the first FMAG...

Cambridgeshire fire crews have continued to face challenging conditions and increased demand as the summer heatwave persists. Having already seen unprecedented temperatures and calls to incidents in July 2022, which include the two busiest days ever for the fire service, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service staff have continued to face record levels of calls and incidents. Busy July month for Cambridgeshire fire crews Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Area Commander, Stuart Smi...

Firefighters have been praised for saving dozens of homes after a huge grassland fire in Newcastle threatened to spread into a village. Just after 3 pm on Thursday, 11th August, 2022, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) received a call about a grass fire in Walbottle. Deploy resources fast TWFRS Fire Control staff was quick to deploy resources and within minutes the first appliances had arrived on scene. It was evident the fire was growing and spreading rapidly, with more than 30 fi...

Firefighters in Tyne and Wear have been battling a wildfire for more than 20 hours as they call on the public to work with them. Chiefs at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) have said that Wednesday evening was busier than Bonfire night with large fires across the region. Their crews were called out to a wildfire at fields in Ryton just after 3 pm which had spread over 3.5km and put nearby properties at risk. Six fire appliances, a fire boat, and 28 firefighters battled the blaze and...

The agenda for this year’s AFAC22 Conference and Exhibition (AFAC22) is loaded with big topics, such as reducing risk in the changing climate, the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System, women in emergency management, lithium battery fires and so much more. It is the first time since the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic that the Australian and APAC emergency management industry is coming together in person. AFAC22 Conference and Exhibition will be held in 2022 at the Adelaide Conve...

As the hot weather looks set to continue over the weekend and into next week, firefighters want to help ensure residents enjoy the summer safely.  After a house fire in Peterborough on Wednesday, crews are urging people to stay fire safe and follow some simple tips, so they can avoid a fire that could cause significant damage.  Fire under control Fire crews from Dogsthorpe, Stanground and Whittlesey, along with the north roaming fire engine, were called to a fire on Lincoln Road at...

Firefighters across South Yorkshire are urging members of the public to be extra careful over the coming days, following a new extreme heat warning from the Met Office. The national weather forecaster has also raised the fire severity risk level to ‘exceptional’ for some parts of the country–in addition to its four-day Amber weather warning. SYFR’s fire officers This has prompted South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s fire officers to issue another plea to the publi...

FEMA has awarded $4.1 million to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands to cover the costs of fighting the Dollar Ridge wildfire that impacted north-central Utah in July of 2018. The funds are provided by FEMA’s Public Assistance program under a Fire Management Assistance declaration for Utah issued on July 2, 2018, in response to the wildfire. The Dollar Ridge wildfire began south of Fruitland on July 1, 2018. The fire burned over 68,000 acres of private, state, and federal...

The most significant fires seen in the county so far this summer ignited in Dartford when two simultaneous wildfires resulted in more than 150 firefighters being deployed to tackle flames in record-breaking temperatures. Now, with a second heatwave set to begin, the Met Office has issued a Heat Health Alert for Kent and Medway, and the fire service is again urging the public to do all they can to stay safe and help reduce preventable grass, crop, and woodland fires. Author's quote KFRS A...

Fire chiefs in Tyne and Wear have called on their communities to work with them and behave responsibly, as the United Kingdom (UK) braces itself for another heatwave. The UK Met Office have issued an Amber weather warning for Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in some parts of the United Kingdom (UK), with temperatures due to pass 30 Celsius again in the week. A yellow weather warning is in place across Northern England from midday today until Saturday, August 13, 2022. Dry weather conditions could lead...

With crews experiencing their busiest ever month and facing record-breaking temperatures, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging residents to stay fire safe while the summer weather continues. Maintain consistent water supply Having faced unprecedented demand during July, attending more than 1,000 incidents, and seeing thermometers hit 40 degrees, fire crews and call handlers have been pushed to the limit. Many of the fires involved farmland and, due to the dry and hot conditions, s...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Lind Fire burning in Washington. The state of Washington’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 5:58 p.m. PT. He determined that the Lind Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. This is the first FMAG declared in...

Users have all seen the reports recently of the wildfires seen around the UK. Although these incidents have been seen before, the level of reports this year has been unprecedented. Risk of fire spreading  As temperatures are set to continue to rise in the UK, reports like those seen on 19.07.22 may become more frequent. Dry spells recently make for perfect conditions for a fire to start & spread quickly. The ground is dry and any plant life is dryer too, making it perfect fuel for a f...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Miller Road Fire burning in Oregon. The state of Oregon’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Deputy Administrator Vince Maykovich on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 12:11 a.m. PT. He determined that the Miller Road Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. This is the first F...

MSA Safety, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up once again to help volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed personal protective equipment through MSA and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. This annual program began in 2012 and has to date provided 611 sets of turnout gear to 134 departments. Another 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The...

In 2021, 58,985 wildfires burned over 7.12 million acres in the USA, compared to just 18,229 wildfires and 1.32 million acres lost in 1983, when official record-keeping began (as per data from the National Interagency Fire Center - NIFC). An unimaginable amount of water is used every day for mitigation and response solutions. Over the past years, drought conditions have substantially increased and continue to do so, making water even more scarce. The use of only water to suppress fires must be...

GreenScreen is the first ecolabel for PFAS-free firefighting foams which preserve environment and health. This certification attests the foam is totally free of fluorinated derivatives (PFAS including PFOS, PFOA, and PFCs). Some of them are recognized as Persistent in the environment, Bioaccumulable, and Toxic to living organisms. GreenScreen certification is supported by Clean Production Action, an independent organization promoting the use of inherently safer chemicals in products and PFAS-fr...

As part of FEMA’s commitment to make communities stronger and more resilient, the agency is adding two additional measures to help eligible homeowners in areas covered by Presidential Disaster Declarations due to wildfire damage. FEMA has been providing mitigation assistance to eligible homeowners under the individuals and households program (IHP) for several hazard mitigation measures since June 2021. These new measures are a continued effort to expand the types of hazard mitigation item...

Aerial assets play a key role in the battle to keep forest and bush blazes at bay. From modified airframes to purpose-built aircraft, Conair offers a look at what the latest specialist platforms are capable of. Conair (Conair Group Inc.) answers the question of ‘How wildfire warriors are adapting to meeting firefighting challenge’. Jeff Berry, the Director of Business Development at Conair, says the Dash 8-400MRE is capable of responding to emergency missions in a variety of configu...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) has called for an extensive catalog of measures to protect against dangerous forest and vegetation fires. “The fires currently occurring in Germany are a clear warning signal and show us that there is an urgent need for action,” emphasized vfdb President Dirk Aschenbrenner.  One of the consequences must be more active support of the “forest conversion” by the fire departments. An increasing but...

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire), East Contra Costa Fire Protection District and law enforcement agencies across the county warned residents about the extreme dangers of fireworks use in current critically high fire danger conditions and reminded of the county ordinance enacted last year, along with numerous city ordinances, that strengthen enforcement abilities, in a presentation in Concord. Fire and law enforcement leaders reminded residents and visitors that all firewo...

The LF 16 fire truck was built in 1962 and left the factory hall of the former VEB Feuerlöschgerätewerk Luckenwalde 60 years ago. Now, it has unexpectedly returned to the place where it was made. Colleagues from the Grossbreitenbach volunteer fire department in Thuringia went on a grand tour with the restored LF 16 and visited the traditional fire fighting vehicle factory in Luckenwalde, where Rosenbauer now manufactures state-of-the-art fire trucks for the German market. Technically...

Major incidents were declared on Tuesday 19 July 2022 by fire services in London, Leicestershire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, following a devastating outbreak of fires on the hottest recorded day in the UK. nine fires In London, over 400 firefighters were tackling at least nine fires through the night that began on Tuesday. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has detailed where their resources were sent as the day went on: 30 fire engines and 175 firefighters att...

As the sun set on the highest temperatures ever seen in the United Kingdom (UK), Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Chris Strickland has praised the hard work of staff, during this week’s heat wave. Chris Strickland said, “The last two days have seen us face significant challenges and pushed us to the limits of our capacity. For long periods in the afternoon, we had almost every available fire engine committed to an incident, which is unprecedented fo...