London Fire Brigade has unveiled brand new firefighting equipment to tackle the increasing risk of wildfires following last summer’s record-breaking extreme weather.
Today, Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis welcomed the Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Baroness Fiona Twycross, to Wanstead Flats; a large open space in east London, for a demonstration of a new piece of equipment that the Brigade has introduced called ‘Holey Hose’.
Last summer, we saw the devastating impact grass fires and wildfires had on our open spaces and communities. The grass fires were an example of how firefighters are increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as the climate changes.
The Holey Hose is a new tool the Brigade hopes will help restrict the amount of damage caused by these fires. It is a type of fire service hose which has pre-prepared holes that creates a curtain of water reaching up to two metres high. When a fire is spreading across land, the hose will be deployed to protect life and property. This hose can be called upon in addition to existing equipment such as traditional firefighting hose and beaters.
The Holey Hose can be rolled out by all our firefighters, who have been undergoing enhanced wildfire response training in preparation for what could be another challenging summer.
The Brigade has also introduced ten wildfire officers and 30 wildfire tactical advisors. Tactical advisors will be deployed to support Incident Commanders at large grass fires and wildfires and will benefit from training in more rural areas of England. Our all-wheel drive vehicle will also be piloted to test its effectiveness to tackling grass fires and wildfires.
We have also been learning from fire and rescue services in Europe, which have more experience tackling wildfires, which can be large and intense. Weekly strategic forecasting meetings highlight key organisational risks for the following seven days, which includes risk of warm weather and flooding.
The Brigade has also been working to improve how it focusses on its resourcing to ensure it can respond when called upon, with control officers, fleet and operation support staff playing a pivotal role supporting crews and officers out on the ground.
Much of our learning from last summer has been guided by a review that focussed on the events of July 19 (PDF) when temperatures in London exceeded 40 degrees Celsius for the first time. The Brigade anticipates more grass fires and wildfires in the future due to the climate emergency, and the Met Office has already confirmed June 2023 was the hottest June on record with further heatwaves forecast for July.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is continuing to lead from the front in tackling climate change and last month commissioned the independent London Climate Resilience Review to look into the capital's preparedness and capability to utilise technology and data to deal with the potentially devastating impacts of the climate emergency.
Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: “Last summer was an unprecedented period for the Brigade with London experiencing temperatures never seen before.
“Our firefighters responded to this demand with bravery, tenacity and determination, with colleagues from across the Brigade’s vital support functions helping to maintain our response. Thanks to this co-ordinated effort, there is no doubt the damage to London’s communities would have been much worse.
“But we know last summer was not a one-off - climate change will continue to give rise to more extreme weather events. We’ve already seen one significant grass fire this summer and we have to be ready for more.
“That’s why we have reviewed what happened last summer to determine how we can improve and be as best-prepared to tackle this ever-growing risk head-on.”
Read the briefing note about our extreme weather response (PDF).
Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, Baroness Fiona Twycross said: “Last year we saw the devastating impact grass fires and wildfires had on our capital – including our homes, businesses, and the environment. With record temperatures last month in June, it’s vital that London Fire Brigade have the best equipment possible so that it is better prepared, organised and equipped to fight fires.
“The new specialist ‘holey hose’ equipment being used by fire crews across the capital is part of the Mayor’s ongoing investment, modernisation and transformation of the Brigade to build a safer London for everyone.
“Whilst the Brigade are ready to respond to emergencies, it’s more important than ever that every Londoner plays their part in preventing fires and keeping our city safe. That’s why the Mayor and I continue to urge everyone to follow the Brigade’s safety messaging and avoid having barbecues in open green spaces or on balconies, making sure rubbish is thrown away safely, not leaving broken bottles or glass on the ground and disposing of cigarettes properly to avoid the risk of fire starting.”