![](https://emergencyservicestimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ESS-Button-resized.png")
More than four in five UK fire and rescue services have changed emergency response arrangements because of concerns about access to sufficient firefighting water, new NFCC evidence has found.
The findings come as the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) publishes its new Water Supplies for Firefighting Position Statement, which highlights concerns over the reliability, resilience and cost of the infrastructure firefighters rely on during incidents.
An NFCC survey of fire and rescue services carried out in summer 2026 found that 81% of respondents had changed their planned level of response in areas where there were known difficulties accessing sufficient firefighting water.
More than half of services also said they had introduced additional measures following significant water supply outages. The operational impact of unreliable supplies was seen during this summer’s major wildfire in Stourbridge.
West Midlands Fire Service experienced ongoing water pressure problems over several days while crews tackled the incident. At the height of the fire, firefighters used a High Volume Pumping Unit to help maintain supplies, while replenishing a water carrier took almost 40 minutes at one point because of reduced pressure.
Water company representatives were deployed to the incident and took part in multi-agency briefings as crews continued to deal with fluctuating water supplies.
The NFCC says fire and rescue services are reporting a range of issues with firefighting water provision, including inadequate hydrant flow and pressure, delays in installing and repairing infrastructure, inconsistent engagement from water companies and increasing costs for hydrant maintenance and replacement.
According to NFCC evidence, hydrant installation and maintenance charges increased by an average of 85% between 2014 and 2024. Fire and rescue services have also raised concerns about a lack of transparency around how these costs are calculated.
NFCC Chair Phil Garrigan said access to water was becoming an increasing operational concern for services.
“Firefighters cannot fight fires without water. That sounds obvious, yet our evidence shows four in five fire and rescue services have had to change response plans because of concerns about firefighting water supplies.
“We saw the impact of these challenges during the Stourbridge wildfires, where issues with water pressure created additional operational difficulties for crews tackling a major incident.
“The demands on fire and rescue services are growing, with larger wildfires, extreme weather and increasingly complex risks. As the task becomes more challenging, the very least firefighters should be able to rely on is access to the water they need to protect people and property.”
The position statement also points to wider pressures on the water network, including climate change, drought, population growth, housing development and the growth of infrastructure such as data centres and battery energy storage systems.
NFCC is calling for water for firefighting to be recognised as a critical public safety requirement, with fire and rescue services formally recognised as key stakeholders in the regulation and future planning of the water sector.
It is also calling for national standards for firefighting water provision, greater accountability for water companies, more transparency around hydrant charges and better consideration of firefighting water requirements during planning decisions.
The organisation wants fire and rescue services to have improved access to water network information to support emergency response and planning.
NFCC said forthcoming reforms to the water sector could provide an opportunity to strengthen resilience and ensure firefighting requirements are considered in future infrastructure and investment decisions.
To read similar articles, check out our Leadership channel.
