Multi-agency approach to prepare for wildfire season in the north east

Coastguard, fire, mountain rescue and other agencies gathered on Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland to test tactics to deal with wildfires and protect this area of outstanding natural beauty in the coming months.

Lindisfarne, a tidal island also known as Holy Island, has challenging accessibility issues. It has been the focus of multiple campaigns over the past year to increase the safety of residents, visitors, and businesses in the face of incidents such wildfires. 

Last year, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service teamed up with HM Coastguard, Natural England, and the North East Ambulance Service to make a variety of plans to access the island in an incident. Building on this, partners came together recently to exercise and strengthen their combined wildfire response.

“We’ve seen an increase in coastal wildfires in the past few years and it’s become apparent that a wide array of tactics are needed to deal with ecologically sensitive environments such as those found at Lindisfarne, which could provide a potential obstacle to us during any incident.” 

Rob Stacey, wildfire lead, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service.

Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve is one of the largest National Nature Reserves in the country, is of particular importance due to its location as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue team and and the Salvation Army joined the exercise, training together to learn about each other’s capabilities in responding to a wildfire incident. 

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