Fire chief issues warning after busiest-ever July

A fire chief has urged people to do all they can to reduce the risk of accidental fires after the service experienced its second-busiest month ever.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service received 1,721 calls in July, attending nearly 800 incidents, including 450 fires, 23 of them large outdoor fires, and about 50 road traffic accidents.

This figure exceeded previous Julys, including during the 2022 summer heatwave, when firefighters attended 743 incidents, and was second only to August of that year.

Chief fire officer Nikki Watson praised the "dedication of our staff, who continue to answer calls, mobilise resources effectively and protect our communities".

Call volumes were more than double those recorded in both May and June this year and the control room handled an average of 56 emergency calls each day, compared with a typical daily average of 22.

Increased demand also saw average call connection times rise from about seven seconds to 14 seconds during the busiest periods.

By 12 August, sustained dry weather had already seen a further 1,536 calls to fire control, with firefighters attending 387 incidents.

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Incidents included a blaze at Lodge Farm Industrial Estate in Duston, two miles from Northampton town centre, and a barn fire at Blakesley, close to Towcester, where about six-and-a-half tonnes of fertiliser was stored.

Watson said: "Periods like this inevitably place additional pressure on resources, but planning for high-demand incidents is part of what we do. We constantly assess risk and deploy resources to ensure communities remain protected.

"I am incredibly proud of the way our people have responded."

She said staff showed "tremendous flexibility", including swapping shifts and volunteering for additional duties, as well as cancelling rest days.

In addition, Watson said mutual aid was a "normal part of fire and rescue operations" and that crews had been deployed to the Holme Fen fire, near Peterborough.

She urged people to take precautions to reduce the risk of fire, including avoiding lighting open fires in the countryside, only using barbecues in designated safe areas and disposing of litter and cigarettes responsibly.

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