NORTH WALES WILDFIRES: THE FIREFIGHTERS’ STORY
FIREFIGHTERS have dealt with 225 wildfires in less than three weeks during what has already become the busiest summer in decades.
Recent blazes in Carmel, Bethesda, Bangor and Holyhead have been worsened by the hot weather, putting strain on North Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s vital resources.
Crews have spent countless hours in soaring temperatures tirelessly tackling fires, which, in some cases, have been caused deliberately.
Police have even launched a hunt for a gang of five teenagers after reports they tried to reignite a forest fire at Braichmelyn, which involved more than 50 firefighters and saw 30 homes evacuated.
Of the 225 grass and gorse fires that have broken out across the region since June 25, 44 of them have reignited. Some 16 of them have been classed as “large fires”, where more than three engines have been required.
Supporting the efforts are the retained crew at Conwy fire station, who give up their time to help and are increasingly called away from their day jobs.
Andy Lambert, retained firefighter of 27 years said: “We’ve been quite busy in recent weeks dealing with all the mountain and grass fires, which are more prevalent at the moment with the hot weather we’ve had.
“The impact it’s had on us is that we are retained firefighters, so we come from our home addresses or work to respond to our alarms and we’re gone for hours at a time supporting North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
“Generally, it’s hard work dealing with these massive fires, dragging hoses up mountain sides, beating with beaters for hours on end with very little rest, because as soon as we stop, they seem to spring up in another area of the fire ground so we just keep going until the fire is out.”
He added: “The most challenging one in recent weeks was the one on Cilgwyn, Caernarfon, that was quite a large fire where some properties were in danger. This is definitely the busiest summer we’ve had in a long time.
“I’ve been doing this for 27 years – we’ve had other summers which have been as busy, but not for at least 10 or 15 years.”
Colleagues Mark Hughes and Jon Williams admitted the last few weeks have been the busiest period they’ve personally encountered.
Jon, who has been a retained firefighter for 18 months, said: “I’ve never known it this busy, it’s just been a manic couple of weeks. The biggest fire I’ve dealt with was on Holyhead mountain. That was a hard night but the training kicks in and you just carry on.”
The crew, who work in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, Welsh Water and the police, advised people to enjoy the outdoors responsibly by being careful with barbecues, smoking materials and litter.
They are also urging parents and guardians to educate their children about the dangers of starting fires in the open, encourage them not to do so and challenge any suspicious behaviour if they come home smelling of smoke.
Kevin Jones, community safety manager for Conwy and Denbighshire said: “Although the recent fire investigations are not complete, without a doubt some of them have been started deliberately.
“The biggest risk that causes us is that if we’re at an incident dealing with a grass fire and subsequently there’s another fire that requires a rescue, inevitably there is going to be a delay in our turnout and that puts lives at risk because we can’t be in two places at once with the same fire engine.
“There are risks and dangers to everybody, including the firefighters themselves. The firefighters work incredibly hard in incredibly hard conditions.”
Kevin said other big issues dealing with huge fires are logistics and keeping crews hydrated. He added: “In those early stages when we’re bringing out the resources, trying to get everything in the right place and navigating narrow areas, it’s very difficult to decide where to go.
“You’re fighting against logistics, the shape and size of the hill, the con- tours and the heat – it’s extremely challenging. It’s also difficult for crews to keep hydrated in the immense heat of their kit.”
Thankfully, firefighters have massive public support and have been supplied with drinks, food and ice creams by members of the community.
More than ever, people are also taking to social media to share heartfelt appreciation for the service.
Stuart Millington, senior operations manager for the service said: “There have been a whole variety of acts of incredible kindness from individuals and businesses.
“I’m aware of pizzas being delivered to firefighters at the Carmel incident and water being brought to the Bethesda incident by the local Tesco Express in the village.
“I’m also aware of a local shopkeeper who brought ice creams to the scene of one of the fires.
“In Talsarnau, a local resident in Capel Soar brought biscuits, water and fruit for the crews, and also provided tea and coffee – and there are a number of other examples of householders providing refreshments for the crews.
“Some local shops discounted the cost of refreshments being purchased for firefighters, for example Londis in Bethesda and a local shop in Harlech.
“And a member of McDonald’s staff in Caernarfon personally paid the difference in cost for food for firefighters when the bill came to more than a credit card limit and until the service could arrange reimbursement later this week.
“We have also received donations for the Fire Fighters Charity which have been gratefully received.
“We are truly grateful for such acts of generosity and support which mean a lot to our crews. It also helps us to be able to continue with our work to protect our residents.”