Surrey Fire and Rescue Service are urging residents across the county to be ‘Wildfire Aware’ this season, after fires almost doubled between 2022 and 2023.
As part of its wildfire prevention campaign this year, Surrey Fire and Rescue (SFRS) are encouraging residents to take steps in preventing wildfires to protect homes, businesses and habitats, by binning BBQS and taking litter home.
Between 2022 and 2023, SFRS dealt with 553 wildfires across the county, with their appliances spending over 13,000 hours attending wildfire incidents in the last year alone. Wetter winters and drier summers mean they’re becoming more of a risk.
SFRS's wildfire awareness and prevention work is a collaborative effort between different teams and partners. In preparation for the season and to help prevent and tackle these types of fires, teams have taken part in extra training to refresh and enhance wildfire capabilities and expertise, as well as introducing five new state-of-the-art drones into the service.
Crews were recently joined by over one hundred residents during ‘Wildfire Awareness Week’ in April, with more events planned this summer to raise awareness.
SFRS Rural Affairs Officer Marli Holland said:
“Wildfires are a threat to homes, businesses, and precious habitats, and it takes years for the land to recover. As part of our work to prevent and tackle wildfires, we’ve been spreading the word with partners, and encouraging everyone in our communities to take steps to reduce the risk of wildfires.
“Wildfires are easy to start, and spread very quickly, often through BBQs not being extinguished properly, litter left on commons or heaths, or cigarettes being thrown out of cars or left on the ground.”
To have a safe summer, SFRS have put out advice to help prevent wildfires:
- Avoid having camping stoves or open fires in the countryside. They can quickly spread and get out of control. Switch your BBQ to a picnic.
- Dispose of smoking materials properly. Throwing cigarette ends on the ground or out of a car window can start a wildfire.
- Put your rubbish in the bin or take it home with you. Bottles and glass can start wildfire as they magnify the sun.
- Be prepared at home by cutting down or clearing areas of high fuel close to your home (vegetation, bushes or piles of leaves). Be aware that dense areas of vegetation, hedges, timber fences or sheds, and dry undergrowth will allow a fire to spread from an open space to your home or business.
If you spot a fire out in the open, don’t attempt to tackle it yourself, take note of the location - best advice is through an app such as What3Words - leave the area and call 999.
For more information, please visit: Wildfire – Surrey County Council
