'Tactical plans' drawn up to tackle wildfires

A fire service has developed "tactical fire plans" for nine Berkshire sites identified as being at high risk of wildfires.

The county saw a record number of fires during the summer months, with the fire service responding to 295 vegetation fires between July and September, including 32 wildfires.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) area manager Tom Brandon said Swinley Forest near Bracknell was one of the identified sites.

He said the service was doing a review of the "really challenging summer".

"The crews who are local to those specific risks will build a relationship with the landowners to make sure the access that we expect and the water supplies that are available are all maintained," he said.

Brandon said they were teaming up with other groups in the Thames Valley to look into "the potential for a joint procurement of lightweight personal protective equipment".

"We're going to try and fast-track it and we're looking into options, the possibility of getting it in for next summer," he said.

"We've already just released funds to purchase lightweight helmets for staff."

He said the service was investing in mobile shelters, because when dealing with open fires "there's not always a lot of shade to be had".

"So looking after the welfare of firefighters when they're working hard in hot conditions," he said.

He said prior to the summer: "We'd already put a load of things in place to make sure that we were ready for such a situation and we'd invested in 4x4 vehicles, so we had an off-road capability.

"We'd also trained a number of our officers to be aware of special tactics that can be employed using off-road vehicles.

"It was already in our community risk management planning assumptions that the climate situation was going to lead to many more wildfires, so we were already putting preparations in place - there's learning that we always get."

Swinley Forest is one of the sites RBFRS said it had gathered information on.

It is close to a built-up area, including the high-security Broadmoor Hospital, and in 2011 fire chiefs said a fire that broke out on the site became "the largest in Berkshire's history".