Military planes and helicopters to fight wildfires from the sky

The RAF’s Chinook helicopters and A400M aircraft will be equipped so they can fight fires and are ready, when requested, to help crews across the UK battle blazes on remote moorland, steep hillsides and other hard-to-reach terrain.

Firefighters on the front line in England will be boosted by additional specialist wildfire teams and state of the art, wildfire-specific, light weight personal protective equipment, backed by up to £45million, meaning those who work tirelessly to protect others can stay also safe.  Unlike their current kit, which is primarily designed for fires in buildings and not meant to be worn for a long time, this will be lighter and more breathable so firefighters can wear for longer periods when tackling wildfires.  

To stop these fires from happening to begin with, the government will invest more money to make landscapes more resilient. This includes £25 million to restore dried-out peatlands in England so they hold more water and act as natural firebreaks, as well as financial support for farmers to fireproof their land, through digging ponds and removing burnable materials in high-risk areas.

The government will also look at tougher local restrictions or product bans to stop people starting fires when the risk is high.

The package comes ahead of today’s summit, where the Prime Minister will meet fire chiefs, local leaders and experts to make sure this summer’s scenes are never repeated.

I stood in Stourbridge and watched families lose everything. I will never forget it. Our firefighters were heroes that day, but heroes shouldn’t have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.

Crews will now have the kit they need to stay safe and military aircraft will stand ready to help tackle wildfires from the sky. We cannot put people through another summer like this one.

Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said:

The wildfires we’ve faced this year have been unrelenting, leaving a devastating impact on communities, homes and our precious countryside.