Fire chief warns more funding needed to avoid Dunwich repeat
Suffolk's chief fire officer has told a Parliamentary committee that extra funding is needed to prevent another wildfire like the one that tore through Dunwich Heath in July.
Why it matters: Jon Lacey, who leads Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), said staff cuts over several years made responding to the Dunwich Heath wildfire challenging, as he warned a similar incident could overwhelm the service again without more investment.
The big picture: The fire started in RSPB Minsmere and spread through large parts of Dunwich Heath, destroying more than 200 football pitches' worth of land and wildlife habitat.
- At its peak, all 35 of Suffolk's fire stations were involved, along with crews from other counties.
- A total of 120 firefighters were at the scene.
What they're saying: Mr Lacey gave evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government committee this week, in a session examining the state of fire and rescue services.
He told committee members that most SFRS staff have day jobs and respond when paged to attend an incident.
"Under normal circumstances that works quite well, but under Dunwich Fire during the summer [...] the turnaround of staff was hugely challenging," he said. "You can only rotate them around a shift so many times."
Asked whether new technology could ease the pressure on the service, Mr Lacey said it could help but would come "at risk of cost."
Concerns about funding levels were shared by all the fire chiefs who gave evidence to the committee.
For context: The hearing follows an announcement last week from Andy Burnham that military planes and helicopters at RAF Chinook would be equipped to support emergency services across the UK.
The move forms part of a wider package of measures, including new specialist teams, better protective equipment and investment in land fireproofing.
The bottom line: Mr Lacey said: "We have an amount of resource, and we have to apply that to the risk we see within our own areas, and sometimes we have to make choices and decisions about where we put that risk, and that can be difficult and uncomfortable.
"We're always keen to help, but it comes down to capacity sometimes to be able to achieve it."
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