LONDON, June 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
Through the new programme, teams of specialist firefighterswillbepositioned in key areas and ready torespond tofires acrossEngland-deliveringhelptopeople on the ground more quickly andtakingpressure offlocalservicesas the number of incidents continues to grow.
The teams haveundergoneintense training over spring and summer,upskilling in the latest strategies like tactical burning, andtravelling to South Africa and Poland to learn from the international community.
In the wake of devastating wildfires last year,which includedwidespread damage acrossNorth York Moors National Park, today's announcementwillprovide crucialprotection toprecious countryside and communities.
State-of-the-artkit,like dedicated off-road vehicles,will also be availablethroughawider £97million investmentto fund the largest scale upgrade of National Resilience assets inalmosttwenty years.
Building Safety Minister, Samantha Dixon, said:
This country benefits from a dedicated fire and rescue service and as incidents continue to evolvein complexity,it'scritical thatwe back those on the frontline with the latest equipment.
Last year saw some of our most devastating wildfires in recenthistoryandas we head into peak season,we're getting on and delivering the resource, training and assets needed to minimise the escalating risk.
The Fire National Resilience programmewas established after the9/11 terrorist attack, recognising that specialist capabilities, personnel and resourceswere needed to enablefire and rescue services to respond effectively to a national-scale catastrophic incident.
The significant cash boost will ensure the dedication of our fire and rescue servicesis matched with the most up-to-date assets, funding a huge overhaul of existing vehicles and equipment.
This will crucially strengthen the country's national response to the largest and most complex of incidents, from flash flooding to raging wildfires and collapsed structures.
These specialistcapabilities wereusedover 1,000timesin 2025 aloneto tackle a diverse range of incidents,withdevastating wildfiresidentified asa growingdemand on the service.
Thewildfire teamswill belocated strategically and hosted by fire and rescue services in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland, London and South Wales-deployable to incidents across England by the end of June.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
