🔥 Are We Ready for Wildfires?

Article 6 of our Water Stress series is now up.

This one started with a simple question about Britain's increasing wildfires.

We know that when a major fire overwhelms a local fire service, neighbouring services can send crews and equipment to help.

But prolonged heat and drought don't stop at county boundaries.

The same conditions that create a wildfire in Hampshire can exist simultaneously in Surrey, Berkshire and Sussex.

So what happens when everybody needs help at once?

That led me to investigate how prepared we actually are.

🚒 Can fire engines reach remote heathland and woodland?

💧 Where does the water come from when streams and ponds are already depleted by drought?

🚁 Does Britain have aircraft capable of water-bombing wildfires?

🔥 What happens when several major fires occur simultaneously?

🌍 And what can we learn from countries such as Spain, Portugal, Greece, Australia, Canada and the United States that have been dealing with this problem for much longer?

One idea particularly struck me.

Throughout this series we've been talking about moving water through time — capturing some of our abundant winter rainfall so it is available during increasingly dry summers.

We've already found reasons to store water for people, farming and wildlife.

Perhaps we need to add another:

Water for emergencies.

The latest article is:

🔥 When the Countryside Catches Fire

Have a read, then come back and tell us what you think.

And particularly, if you live somewhere where wildfire is already part of life, I'd love to hear what your community does that we could learn from.

Notice. Speak Up. Suggest Ideas. Share Solutions.

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🔥 Are We Ready for Wildfires?