GODALMING (United Kingdom): At a military training site in Surrey, southeast England, a small team of firefighters are blasting the surrounding moorland with water as they practice fighting a different kind of enemy: climate change.
District firefighters are investing in new equipment, training and tactics to respond to the growing threat of bushfires as Britain’s climate becomes drier and more unpredictable.
Last summer, when the country experienced drought and the highest temperatures on record, it saw a spate of bushfires, including one of the biggest in recent UK history in Surrey, which stretched over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
According to the fire service, forest fires occur in some parts of the region outside of the typically warmer and drier summer months.
However, Surrey is not unique within the UK as bushfires are becoming more common across the country, despite its reputation for wet weather and rolling green hills.
“We are now dealing with bushfires as usual,” Surrey fire investigation officer Matt Oakley said as colleagues showed off their new kit at the site, which was burnt by a bushfire last year.
“And conditions will become more extreme over the next two decades,” he told AFP, blaming rising global temperatures.
Britain’s Met Office warned in a new study last month that the extreme heatwaves we will experience nationwide in 2022 will become more frequent and intense due to climate change.
With that comes an increased risk of wildfires in more places.
At the height of last year’s heatwave, when temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time, a grass fire on the outskirts of east London spread across 40 hectares (nearly 100 acres), damaging 17 homes and other structures and vehicles.
The level of destruction was unprecedented, the British usually associated bushfires with southern Europe, North America and Australia.
Oakley, who advises other UK firefighters on bushfire tactics, said the scenes in east London “could happen almost anywhere” where rural and urban environments meet.
“We have a massively populated island … we have a real interaction between the natural environment and people, and when that happens there is always the potential for ignition,” he warned.
Following last year’s bushfires, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has invested an additional £1m ($1.26m) in its bushfire prevention and response capabilities.
The force, which has four fire stations spread across the 648 square mile (1,679 square kilometre) district south-west of London, now holds regular fire drills at each.
It boasts four ‘Unimog’ fire engines – capable of spraying 1,500 liters of water per minute up to 60 meters using a mounted hose – and 25 Land Rover Defender trucks equipped for fires.
Firefighters have new light jackets, goggles and helmets tailored for demanding outdoor conditions.
The service has also developed dozens of ‘risk plans’ for different parts of England’s most forested county, mapping out what is needed and where the potential impact of bushfires can be mitigated.
This summer may have been largely a washout across much of Britain, reducing the immediate risk of an outbreak.
However, Surrey firefighters take a weary view of the recent heavy rainfall, noting that it has increased the amount of vegetation.
“When it dries up, you have more to burn,” said David Nolan, area commander.
“So it’s not about if we don’t have fire that we got away with it, it’s about understanding that we’ve just increased the risk for years to come.”
He said grass is now blazing in the county even in the dead of winter.
“We have fires that can happen at any time, so the risk is real 12 months of the year,” Nolan added.
Surrey is also putting more emphasis on prevention, visiting landowners throughout the year to emphasize the importance of integrating firebreaks into their landscape.
Rural Affairs Officer Marli Holland tours schools and other community locations to educate the public about outdoor fire hazards.
At a military training site, the team deployed a thermal imaging camera to demonstrate the long-term impact of a disposable grill on the ground.
The surface temperature was around 170 degrees Celsius (338 degrees Fahrenheit) even half an hour after the smouldering grill was removed from the site.
“If you can have a picnic instead of a disposal barbecue, (you) just eliminate that risk … don’t have campfires and take all your trash home,” Holland said. “That simple messaging can hopefully reduce the risk of fires.”
