Increase in firefighters' calls 'connected to weather'

This spring and summer, Staffordshire firefighters attended roughly 1,000 more emergencies than usual, a rise attributed to prolonged hot and dry conditions. Between April and September, the county's fire and rescue service handled 5,409 calls, up from 4,436 during the same period last year.

The increase was largely driven by a 68.1% rise in secondary fires, which typically involve small grass or outdoor fires not requiring a full-scale response. Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber noted that the growing number of wildfires in the region highlights the reality of climate change.

During the six-month period, the service responded to 1,794 secondary fires, which usually do not endanger people or property. At a public performance meeting, Commissioner Ben Adams questioned senior officers about the operational effects of the higher call volume.

Barber explained that while response times were impacted, firefighters still arrived within standard limits for 79% of incidents, close to the 80% target. The busiest month was August, with over 1,000 incidents, and the average response time rising to 11 minutes 32 seconds, compared to 9 minutes 55 seconds in August 2024.

The surge in incidents also affected finances, with pay projected to exceed the budget by 400,000, though the overall budget remained on track. Barber emphasized that the rise in calls spanned all incident types and was closely linked to the dry conditions, which persisted from February through October. Secondary fires, including grassland, refuse, and derelict building fires, were the most notable increase.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue carried out extensive prevention efforts, such as patrols in fire-prone areas, but conditions still led to a significant number of secondary fires. Barber described this as a clear indication of climate change, which is also increasing demand for flood rescue operations. Road traffic incidents attended by firefighters rose by 19%, from 364 to 433.

Author: Maya Henderson