Sir Nicholas Soames’s question to the Minister for Policing and the Fire Service on the Saddleworth Moor and Tameside fire.

Question by Sir Nicholas Soames MP following the

Statement by the Minister for Policing and the Fire Service,

Nick Hurd MP, on ‘Saddleworth Moor and Tameside: Ongoing Fire’

Monday, 2nd July 2018

House of Commons

Sir Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) (Con)

Because of the extreme drought and dryness in these magnificent and very important areas, will the Minister work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to see whether there is a case for a comprehensive review of the trigger points on the fire severity index to develop a better framework for managing such situations? In addition to his rightful praise for our superb firefighters and the Army, will he also congratulate local farmers, gamekeepers and many others who live and work on the moors whose knowledge, equipment and expertise have greatly assisted the professional help?

The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service (Mr Nick Hurd)

I certainly join my right hon. Friend in joining all those people who have contributed, particularly if they have that kind of long, historical expertise of the moors. I certainly also undertake to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make sure that the lessons from this are learned to the full. I can give him some assurance that the National Fire Chiefs Council is driving work nationally to further improve the UK’s approach to wildfire preparedness, prevention and intervention, and this has included a wildfire prevention toolkit, which provides information and a range of tools to help fire and rescue agencies and partner agencies to prevent and reduce the impact of wildfires. He will understand the point: when a major incident such as this is over and has been managed properly, we have, alongside the congratulations and admiration, to learn the lessons from it.

Hansard
Monday 2nd July, 2018
Volume 644
No 163. Column 40