A WEST Yorkshire fire chief has warned the fires prompted by this week’s extreme weather are a ‘game changer’.
Dave Walton, Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, is warning the situation seen across the UK yesterday will not be a one-off, adding the country needs to be prepared.
He said: “Yesterday was a game changer and took us to a completely new level. Fires were spreading much more quickly than ever before.
“Usually when a big fire happens you can call on neighbouring fire services to help, but not yesterday. Everyone was busy and completely stacked out. This tells us we need a fundamental rethink how we resource our Fire and Rescue Service nationally, so we can be prepared for this.
“The predictions are we will get heatwaves like this much more regularly, even as much as every three years, due to climate change. This is very different position we are in now compared to a one-off event nearly 50 years ago, and we need to see this as a wake-up call.”
He is urging people to be vigilant and to phone fire on 999 if they see anyone using a barbeque in open areas; or causing any other anti-social behaviour.
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