Half Of Fire Services Missing Basic Wildfire Kit

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Fire services don’t have the basic equipment, training or resources they need to cope with soaring wildfire numbers, according to FOI requests submitted by the Country Land and Business Association.

The CLA approached 47 fire services in England and Wales. In total, 29 responded. The findings show:

Basic kit missing: Over half (12/22) fire services have no wildfire PPE and a third of stations have zero drones, despite how critical they are in allowing crews to safely track, monitor and tackle blazes.
Record blazes: 77% of councils recorded more wildfires in the first half of 2026 than they did in the entirety of 2024. And in Berkshire and Shropshire, wildfires hit a five-year record in just the first six months of 2026.
Limited training: In Cheshire just 8% of employees are trained to under-take wildfire training, and most of what training exists is done online, not in the field.
Fire engines out of action: Some fire services were unavailable to attend callouts for over a third of the year. And during this summer’s biggest wildfires, nearby stations were unable to provide an available fire engine at record rates.
Lengthy wait times: Nearly half of those who shared data failed to meet their target response time on average in 2025 and 2026, with response times exceeding 21 hours in some instances.

Gavin Lane, CLA President, said:

“We ask firefighters to risk their lives in conditions most of us would not go near. So we should be giving them the equipment, training and support to come back safely. Yet some are being sent into wildfires in heavy kit made for burning buildings, worn for hours across open ground in summer heat. Some have had little more than online training."

“We also need to look beyond our own borders. Places like California and Australia have spent years learning how to fight and prevent large fires. They’ve invested in specialist equipment, training, and a much more proactive approach to managing the land, including through controlled burning. We should be learning from this experience, not acting as though it’s irrelevant to what’s already happening here in Britain."

“Fire services need the people, training and specialist equipment to protect communities. And government must lift the ban on controlled burning, so landowners have the freedom to reduce fuel loads before a blaze becomes a disaster.”

Firefighters being sent to tackle blazes without the right gear

Over half of forces (12/22) have no specialist wildfire PPE, despite repeated warnings from fire services that standard PPE can be too hot and heavy for wildfire conditions. This can cause crews to overheat, or remove PPE altogether, exposing them to greater danger from heat, smoke and radiation.

Access also varies widely from county to county, with Surrey reporting over 800 PPE kits, and Kent and West Yorkshire issuing one set to every firefighter.

Tyne and Wear also have no terrain support vehicles, which are crucial for reaching wildfires in rough or remote areas that standard engines can’t access. Cheshire and Durham have just one, while forces such as Dorset have 29.

Over a third of stations (8/22) also have no drones, despite how important they are in detecting, mapping and monitoring wildfires.

These gaps come as fire services report record wildfires. Nearly 80% (17/22) of fire services recorded more wildfires in first half of 2026 than they did in the entirety of 2024. And in Berkshire and Shropshire, wildfires hit a five-year record in just the first six months of 2026.

In some areas, just 8% of crew are qualified to undertake wildfire operations

Many fire services also lack basic wildfire training. In West Yorkshire, only 15% of operational personnel hold in date training for wildfires. This rises to 40% in Surrey, while in Norfolk, just 33% of officers and 67% of firefighters have in-date training. Where training courses exist, they are typically conducted online, limiting opportunities for firefighters to complete real-world training.

Many services also lack staff who are qualified to undertake, command, or provide tactical advice at wildfires. In Cheshire, just 8.62% of employees are trained to undertake wildfire operations, while in Cleveland just 5 staff (1.2%) are qualified to give tactical advice or command wildfires.

By contrast, 100% of firefighters and officers in Durham, Kent and East Sussex are trained to undertake wildfire operations.

Fire crews are taking nearly an hour to reach blazes

Nearly half of those who shared data failed to meet their target response time on average in 2025 and 2026.

Over 75% of fire crews (13/17) also reported incidents where they took more than 30 minutes to arrive at the scene in 2026. In the worst cases, waits reached 21 hours in Northamptonshire, 81 minutes in Cumbria, 59 minutes in North Yorkshire and 50 minutes in Hereford.

In Berkshire, where wait times for wildfires specifically were provided, just 16% of all wildfires were attended in the target time, with crews taking as long as 43 minutes to arrive at the scene.

Fire services unavailable to attend callouts a third of the year

Crew shortages also mean many fire engines can’t be deployed for large parts of the year.

In Surrey, West Sussex and Cleveland, engines were unavailable to respond to incidents for more than half the year on average, at 67%, 58% and 52% respectively. Across the 29 services who shared data, on-call engines were unavailable for an average of 32% of the year, reducing their ability to respond when fires first break out.

In some areas, individual engines were barely ever available at all. Three Essex engines, at Canvey, Braintree and Dovercourt, spent over 90% of the year unavailable, and in Suffolk and Leicestershire, individual engines were unavailable 100% of the time in July 2026 – when the UK heatwave was at its peak.

And during the country's three biggest wildfires this summer, the fire engines nearby were unable to be deployed at record rates. In Greater Manchester, as a major incident was declared at Dovestone and Saddleworth Moor, on-call engine unavailability jumped to 19.3% in July, compared with under 4% in every other month. At Mossley, next to the fire, the engine was unavailable 26.6% of the month, more than five times its annual average.

And in Dorset, the exact week a major incident was declared over the Holt Heath and Newton Heath wildfires (August 2025), both of Swanage's engines hit their worst availability of the year, one unavailable 95.2% of the month.

The CLA is calling for change

To tackle this issue, the CLA is calling for more funding, resources and equipment for fire services.

In addition, it is urging government to lift the ban on controlled burning, which is a proven method to remove the dead vegetation that can turn small blazes into major incidents. This would help land managers prevent wildfires before they start, removing some of the burden on fire services as temperatures soar.

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Nov 17, 2023

4 min read

Plumpton College in Sussex has been awarded the highest National Honour in education, a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its work in wine education and wider impact on the English and Welsh wine sector. Granted every two years by the reigning Monarch, the Prizes celebrate excellence, innovation and benefit for the wider world in Further & Higher Education.

Chair of Governors Julie Dougill and Principal Jeremy Kerswell attended an event at St James’s Palace by kind permission of His Majesty the King where the prizes were officially announced by the Royal Anniversary Trust.

The prize recognises the work of Plumpton College as the sole innovator and developer of industry-led training and education programmes for the English and Welsh wine industry since 1985. This progressive employer-college partnership has grown from foundation and degree programmes to an offer including a Master’s programme, industry CPD and more recently introductory-level wine academies and apprenticeships.

Ground-breaking work in the late 1980’s and 1990’s helped professionalise the industry when it was fledgling and struggling to produce the quality of vintage that could compete in an international market. In 2006, a period of rapid expansion occurred due to an increasing need for economic diversification on land estates, changing weather patterns favouring grape ripening and an economic push to increase product exports whilst reducing imports. Responding to employer demand for a production process to develop a high-quality English wine, the college’s own vineyard and winery has always been at the forefront of producing internationally award-winning sparkling wines. This resultant expertise, developed amongst Plumpton College graduates, has led the way to create a real competitor to champagne and other sparkling wines.

Subsequently, through continual close working with wine employers and employer representative bodies, programmes have been regularly reviewed and updated through the college’s advisory panels with industry to ensure they meet the sector’s emerging technical and business needs. Currently, over 95% of wineries and vineyards across the UK employ staff who have been trained and educated at the college.

Principal Jeremy Kerswell shares: “I am delighted to accept this most prestigious award, not only on behalf of Plumpton College, but for all those who have been part of this journey, and those who continue to shape our curriculum today. It’s a story that has been 40 years in the making but is now more important than ever before. Plumpton College continues to meet the needs of the industry by providing sector-leading graduates, with the right skills for sustained growth within the UK’s wine sector and beyond through our vast alumni network.”

Chair Julie Dougill shares: “We are deeply honoured Plumpton College has been announced as a recipient of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize. It is the recognition the industry deserves and a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence in wine training and education as leaders in this field.”

Nicola Bates, CEO of WineGB, the UK wine industry body added: “Congratulations to Plumpton on this highly prized and special award. Plumpton has contributed significantly to the development of the UK wine industry over the last decades through training, education and knowledge – their graduates make up many of the business owners, winemakers and viticulturists who drive the work of WineGB."

“As one of the fastest growing agriculture sectors in the UK today our wine industry offers an extensive and diverse range of highly skilled career opportunities. We considerably value our partnership with Plumpton to help shape the future of our member’s teams.“

Sir Damon Buffini, Chair of The Royal Anniversary Trust said: “The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are an integral part of our national Honours system, shining a light on the groundbreaking work taking place in universities and colleges across the UK. All 22 Prize-winners demonstrate excellence, innovation and impact, with many tackling some of the toughest problems we as a society face today. They are to be commended for reaching this pinnacle of achievement in the tertiary education sector. Congratulations!”

Sam Linter, Director of Plumpton Wine Division “This is a very proud moment for all of us who are and have been involved with the development of Plumpton Wine Division. The culmination of more than 35 years as the UK’s Centre of Excellence in wine education, research and training has been the driving force to lead us to this incredible point in contributing and supporting this innovative and progressive industry.”

This is the fifteenth round of the scheme. There were over 100 entries this round and just twenty-two institutions were awarded a Prize. Winners will be presented with a medal and certificate at a formal Honours ceremony in February 2024.

The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are part of the UK’s national Honours system, recognising outstanding work by UK colleges and universities which demonstrates excellence and innovation and delivers real benefit to the wider world. Open to eligible universities and colleges of Further and Higher Education in the United Kingdom, the Prizes may be awarded in any field of study. First awarded in 1994, the Prizes are granted every two years by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister following a rigorous and independent process of review carried out by The Royal Anniversary Trust, an independent charity.

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